Another World
by Missy Dawn 94
Summary: What if the ZA never happened? Would Daryl, Rick, Carol, Glenn, Maggie and the others still have ended up being friends? This an AU story on how everyone may have met if there was no ZA. Eventually will become a Caryl story, but beings with Daryl meeting Rick.
1. Chapter 1

**(If you've read this before and notice a slight difference if you happen to choose to re-read, I just went through and did some grammatical editing. It was my first fanfic and I had so many errors it was driving me crazy thinking about all of them. There's still probably a lot, but I'm working hard to go back and clean it up as best I can. No content or plot of the overall story has been changed, though. Just in case anyone found themselves wondering.)**

Rick Grimes had been sitting on the side of the road for at least an hour, if not longer. Not a single car had driven so far. Even better, he had absolutely no service on his cell phone. Although, it wasn't all that surprising being that he was out in a middle of nowhere town, a little more than thirty minutes south of his suburban home.

He had come out this way to check out an SUV that he had found on Craigslist. The listing seemed promising of a good deal, and he thought it would be a nice surprise for his wife. He hadn't envisioned having car trouble of his own in the way there. He had never had any real trouble with the truck before.

It could be worse, he thought to himself. It could be summer. No one wanted to be stranded outside in the middle of the day in a Georgia summer. Fortunately for Rick, today was a crisp, fall afternoon. The leaves had just started to change colors and a mixture red, yellow, and brown lined the road beside him.

He was getting prepared to start walking ahead and see if he could find a gas station or house so that he could use a phone. That was, until he heard a noise approaching him. It was growing closer and closer. He finally determined it to be the load roar of an engine. At first he thought it was a four-wheeler, but as it got even closer he realized it was a motorcycle.

Rick waved his hands in the air, signaling he needed help. The man on the motorcycle pulled up beside him.

"Need some help?" The strange man on the motorcycle asked.

Rick nodded. He looked the man up and down, something about him looked eerily familiar. He couldn't place what it was, though. This wasn't a guy who ran in one of the circles he did. He doubted you would find him in his suburban neighborhood or out at the park that his son played in.

The man on the motorcycle had blue eyes short, light brown hair and a blond beard. He spoke with a heavy southern drawl and he was wearing a leather vest with angel wings on the back. Rick guessed he was somewhere around his age. As the man hoped off the bike, Rick noticed a crossbow on the side of it. He eyed the weapon cautiously.

Rick extended his hand to the man. "I'm Rick Grimes, by the way."

"Daryl," Daryl Dixon." Said the stranger in the leather vest.

"You live out this way?" Rick questioned the man

I grew up out here, but I left a long time ago. Just came back recently. My old man passed away.

"Sorry to hear that," Rick told him.

"Yeah," Daryl nodded. "Well, we gonna play 20 questions or ya want me to take a look at your truck?"

()()()

Daryl examined the truck and quickly determined that it was the radiator hose causing the problem.

"Do you have a place nearby and a phone that I can use so I can get it towed?" Rick asked after he was informed of the problem.

"I can do ya one better. I got a hose that'll fit it. Sit tight, I'll be back in a minute. My dad's place is just right down the road."

"You don't have to do that, I can just..."

"Nah, it's alright. There's all kinds of spare parts round the place. It's no big deal. Give me just a sec." Daryl hoped back on his bike and drove off.

Rick watched him as he drove away. Wondering if he should trust him or not. Daryl was a muscular man and he noticed that he had a tattoo peeking out from behind his shoulder blade and another on the inside of his right bicep, that particular tattoo seemed to bare a striking resemblance to a satanic figure.. He looked like a lot of the biker types that Rick had arrested over the years for drugs, theft, bar fights, and various other violations.

Yet something about the man seemed genuine. In the way he spoke and the way he stopped to help without a second thought. Rick had learned to read people from being a cop for so many years, and this Daryl guy didn't seem like a bad dude. He just didn't give him that vibe.

()()()

Daryl returned shortly, just like he said he would. He probably hadn't even been gone ten minutes by the time he got back. He hopped off the bike and immediately started to work on the truck so this Rick cat could get on his way.

"Are you hunter?" Rick asked as he eyed the crossbow sitting on the motorcycle again.

"Ya and I was on my way to find dinner, until I saw ya stopped here. Man's gotta eat, ya know?"

Rick nodded in understanding. "I appreciate you stopping for me. I didn't think anyone would ever come this way," He laughed lightly.

"There ain't much out here," Daryl muttered. "My old man's place was over that way," he pointed, back in those woods. It's a shack really, but it was home," Daryl sighed heavily. "Anyway, I'm almost done with your truck."

"You a mechanic?" Rick wondered aloud

"Have been. It just depends on what I can find at the time. I move around a lot. Me and my brother. Sometimes we work construction, sometimes we dig ditches, whatever job somebody'll give high school drop outs like us. It's just me for now, though. Merle's dumb ass went and got locked up. He got busted with some drugs, hard shit. He was already on probation. I kept trying to tell him." Daryl dropped the hood of the truck, creating a loud clang. "It should be good now. Cain't say the hose I gave ya will last forever, but it should at least get ya home."

"Thanks again, Daryl." Rick reached into his pocket to find some money to give the man for his troubles.

"I don't want your money," Daryl said, almost in a huff. "Keep it. Wasn't nothing. It was just a spare part my dad had laying around and he sure won't be using it no more."

Rick nodded and put his wallet away. He wanted to do something for him for going to the trouble of stopping to help and going out of his way like that. Without thinking, he just offered the first thing that popped into his mind. "Look Daryl, if you're free this weekend, why don't you come by my place? I'm grilling out. It's the least I can do to repay you. My wife is making desert. She makes one hell of a caramel cake." Rick wrote down his address and phone number and handed it to the man.

Daryl took the man's info and slid it into his pocket without another word. He doubted he would go, but the prospect of a full meal sounded pretty good to him and he really didn't have anywhere else in the world to be with Merle in jail.

()()()

Saturday came and Daryl thought about the invitation this Rick Grimes character gave him to come over for that grill out. It wasn't really his thing. Having a cookout with your family.

He slipped the piece of paper Rick had handed him days before out of his pocket and read the address he'd jotted down in sloppy script. He recognized the area as the suburbs. He and Merle had actually helped work on some of the houses near the area when they first started going up a few years back.

His stomach let out a low, rumbly growl and hunger started getting the best of him. There wasn't much food left in his dad's shack and he didn't really have any money either. He'd been hunting most of his food the last week.

He was really tired of being in that damn shack too. There were far too many bad memories there. The prospect of having a place to sleep and a roof over his head outweighed the bad memories for now. At least his dad wasn't here in the shack with him.

He finally got tired of thinking about everything and the repeated growls his stomach was emitting. Caving, he hopped on his bike and headed to Rick's house


	2. Chapter 2

Daryl pulled up to the address Rick had given him. There were a lot of cars there. At first he wasn't sure that he had pulled up at the right place. He didn't remember Rick saying that it was some big thing, just grilling. He had assumed it was just going to be Rick and his wife.

He didn't know how he felt about being at some large gathering where he didn't know anyone. He immediately felt himself growing uncomfortable. He was about to leave, but then the smell of food on the grill hi his nostrils. The smell seemed like it was coming from the back yard. He hopped off the bike and headed for the front door. Daryl swiftly knocked on the door and a tall, thin woman with dark brown hair answered it.

"Hi, can I help you?" The woman offered with a pleasant smile.

"Ya, uh, is...is Rick here?" Daryl said nervously.

"He's in the back yard grilling. Hang on, I'll get him." She arched a brow at the stranger in front of her. "Are you Daryl?

He nodded at the woman.

"I'm Lori, Rick's wife" The woman extended her hand.

Daryl tensed a little, hoping she didn't notice. He was really uncomfortable around women most of the time. He forced his hand to meet hers and gave it a quick shake.

()()()

Lori led Daryl through the house and towards the backyard. It was a nice house. Two stories and he thought he noticed a lower level. Probably a basement.

He noticed pictures on the wall of Rick, Lori, and a small boy. The boy had brown hair, blue eyes and freckles. He reminded him a lot of Rick. He paused for moment as he noticed a picture of Rick in a sheriff's outfit, holding the young boy who he assumed was his son.

Merle would have a field day with this if he knew. Not only was Daryl going to a cookout in the suburbs, apparently the host was a police officer.

"Hey Rick, come here." Lori gestured to her husband as they stepped out onto the patio in the back.

Rick looked over to his wife and smiled when he noticed Daryl awkwardly standing behind her. "I'll be dammed, he actually came," he muttered to himself. "Hey Daryl. Good to see you again." Rick said aloud as he approached.

"Ya, you too." Daryl replied quietly as his eyes awkwardly glanced around his new surroundings.

Let me introduce you to everyone.

Rick took the man around and introduced him to all of his friends. First to Andrea, a blond haired, blue eyed civil rights lawyer, who apparently was Lori's college roommate. Andrea had brought her friend Michonne, who was also a lawyer, but she practiced family law. She was a tall, dark skinned African American woman with a very athletic form. He thought he heard her mention something about doing kickbozing on the side and being a gym rat, but he wasn't paying that much attention.

Then Rick introduced him to his neighbor Dale. He was older, probably in his sixties. He seemed nice, but he talked a lot.

Next he met Glen and Maggie. They were both college aged. Glenn was an Asian kid who delivered pizza's and was putting himself through grad school. Maggie was 22 and she was finishing up her senior year of college. They had met at her dad's vet clinic when Glen brought in a hurt cat he'd found. The couple had actually known Maggie before Glenn. She used to babysit Carl before she went off to college. They still called on her on occasion when they wanted a night away and she was in town. Her father, Hershel was also there. Lori had worked at his vet clinic during her college days as a receptionist.

Daryl was extremely uncomfortable by this point, he didn't do well with new people. Hell, he usually didn't do well with people at all. He couldn't even tell you why he stopped to help Rick that day. He wanted to keep going, but he also knew that they guy could be out there a while before anyone else stopped and that he would want someone to do the same for him if he was in that situation.

Daryl differed from his brother in that way. He had always had a good heart, even as a kid. If he saw another kid getting bullied he would step in. As he got older, he was especially protective of women and children if he saw someone getting out of line with them. Something about seeing someone who couldn't protect themselves or fight back really got to him. Maybe it reminded him of being a kid who couldn't protect himself from his abusive, asshole father.

Rick was still talking, but Daryl had tuned most of it out for the past few minutes. "So, that's pretty much everyone. Except for Shane, Carl, Sophia, and Carol.

Daryl heard that last part. He assumed it was some friends of Rick's that had kids.

"Oh, there's Carol, Sophia and Carl now." Rick said as he pointed towards the back door.

Daryl turned around and stopped where he stood. The woman who entered the door had short, salt and pepper hair and she had smile plastered across her face as she began talking to Lori. Even though her hair was graying, she didn't look much older than him in the face. Maybe a few years, if that. Her eyes and her smile are what struck him most. They were both very welcoming. He thought she was beautiful.

Next he noticed a young girl standing behind her. She was blond headed and looked to be about 12, there was a boy beside her. He recognized him as the boy in the picture with Rick inside the house. The one he assumed was his son.

Daryl moved his attention from the children back to the woman. He eyed her up and down. Something about her struck him as different than the rest of the people here. Not in a bad way, just...different. He found himself wanting to talk to her, which was unusual for him. He was usually quite awkward around women and went out of his way to avoid them.

He was brought out of his thoughts as Lori, the new woman, and the two children began walking his way. He bit at his bottom lip and shifted uncomfortably.

Rick noticed his nervous behavior, but didn't say anything, opting to make introductions instead. "Carl, this is Mr. Dixon. He's the man that helped me out when I broke down the other day."

"Nice to meet you," Carl said. "My dad said you have a cool motorcycle and a crossbow. Can I check it out?"

Daryl laughed a little at the kid's enthusiasm. "Sure. A little later one."

"This is Carol," Rick said next as he introduced Daryl to the woman he had just been eyeing. "And her daughter Sophia," he pointed to the young blond girl.

"Nice to meet you, Mr. Dixon," Carol said with a laugh, imitating Carl. She extended her hand to greeet him. He nervously extended his hand and meet hers. She could feel the tension in his handshake.

Carl and Sophia went off to play after introductions and the adults were left alone. Things were silent and Lori suggested that she and Carol go grab a few beers. She asked the guys if they wanted any and Rick had told her to bring he and Daryl one each.

()()()

"Who was that?" Carol questioned as she and Lori walked towards the beers.

"That's the guy who helped Rick out when he was stuck on the side of the road the other day. He invited him over as a thank you." Lori just shrugged. She didn't really know why Rick had invited him. He was a complete stranger and his appearance made him look a bit rough around the edges. He stuck out like a sore thumb here, but Lori knew Rick. If he at all thought the man was a danger he wouldn't have let him near his home or his family.

"He's hot." Carol stated bluntly She glanced over her shoulder back to the man and eyed him up and down lustfully. He had the prettiest blue eyes she had ever seen. He was muscular. She could tell he was outdoorsy and that he probably worked with his hands.

"Stop," Lori said sternly. "We don't know him, and even if Rick went off and found a new friend, he is still a stranger. He could be a serial killer for all we know." After everything you went through with Ed, I think you should just enjoy being single for now."

"I know," Carol agreed. "But he sure is nice to look at and as long as he is here, I'm going to enjoy looking."

Carol wasn't intending to act on anything. She and Ed had been divorced for six months now and after being married to someone like him for over 12 years, she honestly wasn't sure she could ever trust a man again. Ed was a horrible person. He had abused her for years. She'd hidden the bruises from her friends. If Rick had seen them he would have made sure that the bastard went to jail a long time ago.

She'd dealt with the abuse in silence. She hadn't ever wanted Sophia to have to be alone with him. If they got divorced she knew he would fight her for custody of the child. He told her that on more occasions than she could count. A few times he even told her that he would kill her and if she left. After the beatings he had given her over the years, she had no reason to doubt him on that.

She told herself that as long as he was taking things out on her and not Sophia that she could deal with it. Sure, he was never good to the child. Always verbally degrading her, but until that night six months ago, he had never laid a hand on her. Once he did, Carol lost it. She flipped out. She pulled a gun on Ed in an effort to protect herself and her child. Threatened to kill him if he ever laid a hand on her or Sophia again and left. She never looked back after that.

()()()

Carol and Lori walked back over to the men and handed them both thier beer.

Daryl reluctantly took his, he had a habit of being an ass when he drank. Hopefully since there wasn't any liquor he would alright.

A few beers later and he actually felt somewhat comfortable there. Rick seemed like a decent guy, and even though he was a cop, he kind of liked him. They talked about guns for a while and Rick showed him a few of his favorites. They traded drunken war stories from back in the day, of course Daryl's always ended up being a lot wilder.

He and Carol had even ended up talking some. When he was done practically inhaling the steak that Rick gave him, she had walked up to him insisting that he try some of the potato salad that she made.

He inhaled it just as quickly. She could have sworn he hadn't eaten in weeks.

"That's the best damn tater salad I ever had," he grinned.

"Aren't you sweet?" She said smiling back at him.

"Pffft," he blushed.

She wasn't used to compliments like that. Ed had always told her he hated her cooking. Among other things.

"So how long have you know Rick and Lori?" Daryl asked her.

"A while now." Carol replied. "Lori was Sophia's second grade teacher. Carl was in the class too. They became good friends. I started bringing her over for play dates. We became friends pretty fast after that. They're really great people."

Daryl nodded. "He could see that. They seemed to adore their son and they laughed and joked with their friends. He threw this party and had them all at his house. He even asked Daryl here and fed him, yet he barely knew him."

"They've been letting Sophia and I live here the past six months," Carol told him.

Daryl cocked his head in confusion. "How come?"

"I got a divorce," She replied plainly.

"Sorry to hear that," he mumbled.

"Don't be. It was for the best, trust me."

He nodded.

"Anyway, money was tight and I didn't really have anywhere to go. They have a little apartment in their basement for when Lori's family or Rick's family stay. It's two bedroom. So that's been our home. Hopefully in the next few months we'll be getting a house. I found one that I like. It has a nice backyard for Sophia to play in."

He listened to her intently as she talked to him, some stranger, about her life. He was feeling a little tipsy from the beer, he wouldn't deny that, but he felt something else too. He liked this woman. He wasn't sure why. He barely knew her at all, but she was so easy to talk to. He was a generally quiet person, yet he had been sitting here the past 30 minutes chatting with her about her life. "Sounds nice. Every kid deserves a nice yard to play in," he said with a hint of sadness in his voice.

She picked up on it. The man was hard to read, she couldn't quite figure out his story. He was nice. Quiet, but nice. She picked up on the fact that he wasn't comfortable when anyone touched him or came to close to him. Maggie tapped him on the shoulder earlier asking him to pass her some napkins and she could have sworn he was going to jump out of his skin. She wondered what his past was, almost certain he had also suffered some form of abuse in his lifetime. As a victim of abuse herself, it wasn't hard to pick up the subtle hints of a fellow victim.

But whatever his story or history had been, here he was now, this gruff biker guy, sitting in the suburbs drinking beer with her and listening to her talk about her life and her kid. She enjoyed talking to him, she liked sitting with him. It was comfortable. Almost as if they had a connection already.

She liked him. She couldn't deny that. He was attractive. Very attractive. She was certain he wouldn't go for her, though. If someone like Ed didn't think she was worth anything, why would a man as good looking as him want her? Besides, she barely knew him, it didn't matter anyway.

They continued talking for a while. He told her about his dad passing away recently and his brother ending up in jail. He mentioned that he moved around a lot, like he had told Rick. She told him about how she had just returned to a nursing career, after quitting her job for Ed once she got pregnant with Sophia and they married over 12 years ago.

()()()

The evening turned into night and Daryl found himself still at Rick's. Everyone but Dale had left the party, and obviously Carol and Sophia since they lived downstairs.

Daryl didn't know how many beers he had at this point, but he knew it had been a lot. He had no idea how he was getting home. Especially since his new found friend was a sheriff. He doubted that he was going to let him sail off on a motorcycle any time soon.

He wasn't too concerned with that just yet though. He was having a good time. He and Carol were on one end of Rick and Lori's sectional while Rick and Lori were on the other end. Dale was sitting across from them. Everyone was laughing at a story that Daryl was telling that involved a him seeing a chupacabra while he was hunting in the North Georgia Mountains once.

"It ain't funny. I know what I saw!" Darly exclaimed.

Everyone laughed again, including Daryl. Well, because he was just that drunk.

Next thing you know Carol asked Daryl to hand her a beer and as he went to give it to her he dropped it, spilling it all over his lap and onto Lori and Rick's couch. He wasn't sure if he dropped it because he was that drunk or if she just made him that nervous.

Carol ran to the kitchen to get some a dish towel and some napkins and absent mindedly went to dab Daryl's wet pant leg with the towel when she returned.

He jumped up like a feral cat as he felt her brush his pant left with the towel. "I uh, I gotta, I gotta go," he said, stumbling for the door."

"Daryl? You okay?" Rick asked.

"I'm fine," he growled. "I just need to go." He stumbled towards the door again.

"You're not going anywhere. You've had way too much to drink and so have we. I can't let you or anyone else risk their life like that," Rick insisted.

"Best not tell me what to do " Daryl hissed out in anger, but quickly fell out before getting physical.

Oh my God! Is he okay?" Carol screeched, with a look of concern on her face.

"He'll be fine," Rick assured her. "He's just passed out drunk. Dale, help me get him to the couch."

"No, No No," Lori spat. "We aren't in college any more. Random drunk people just don't get to crash on our couch. We don't know him. Carl's asleep upstairs. It's not happening."

"He can stay downstairs with me. I'll keep an eye on him." Carol offered, feeling a a strange sense of bravod herself. Maybe she'd had a little much to drink, too.

Lori eyed her friend warily.

"He can stay behind my house in the camper," Dale spoke up.

"You sure?" Rick asked the older man.

"Yeah. It'll be fine. Help me get him over there."


	3. Chapter 3

Daryl shifted around in bed. He was still half asleep and he wasn't quite ready to open his eyes yet. He couldn't quite remember what happened yesterday. Let's see? He went to that cookout over at Rick's, he remembered drinking some beer, then he remembered drinking a lot more beer, he had talked to Rick's friend a lot. Carol. That was her name, right? He couldn't remember anything else. He wondered how he had gotten home.

Then it hit him like a mac truck. This didn't feel like his bed. He bolted up and flitted his eyes around. Where was he? He found himself in a some unfamiliar bed with floral covering. The room he was in was small and compact. Almost like a mobile home, but that didn't exactly match up with the neighborhood he was in last night. "Where the fuck am I?" He mumbled.

"Oh, good. You're alive." A female voice said.

He turned to face the door that had just opened and saw Carol standing there looking at him with a smirk on her face. "Where am I at? What happened?" He questioned her with confusion etched all over his face.

"Dale's RV. You passed out last night."

He nodded. Maybe that's why he didn't remember everything. He felt panicky all of a sudden. Why was she in here with him and why did he even end up here in the first place.

She saw the look of panic wash over his face. She didn't know what to tell him, though. Oh,we moved you in here. Lori didn't wanna take any chances on the fact that you might be a serial killer, thief or a rapist. She finally decided on taking a lighter approach. "You spilled beer all over Rick's couch," Carol laughed. "We figured you would want somewhere dry to sleep." She hoped he would accept that as a decent enough answer and not question it further.

"I musta been plastered," He said, rubbing his eyes with the palms of his hands. "How big of an ass was I?"

She looked at him with eyebrows raised. She didn't remember him being a jerk or anything. Sure, she could have seen it escalating that way if he hadn't of passed out when Rick wasn't letting him leave. She could tell he was becoming agitated at that point. Luckily for everyone, he just passed out. "Other than spilling the beer all over the couch, jumping out of your seat when I went to dry your leg off, and being adamant about leaving after that even though you were completely wasted, I'd say you weren't _that_ bad. I've seen a lot worse."

He let out a small of relief. He knew how he could get sometimes when he drank. It wasn't a big deal around the people he and Merle usually associated with, hell they were probably worse. He just didn't wanna act that way around these people. They were too good for all that.

"Come next door. I made breakfast and saved a plate just for you," She said with a warm smile on her face.

He looked at her like she was from another planet. She wanted him to go eat breakfast with Rick's family and her and her daughter? What the hell was he doing here? He needed to get home, fast. He hesitated, fighting the urge to say no and bolt from this unchartered territory. "Sure." He was hungry and greasy food was always good after drinking, but this was all getting a little weird. Who were these people anyway? The damn Brady bunch.

"It's just breakfast, Daryl. Hasn't anyone ever made you breakfast before?" She teased, breaking him out of his thoughts.

"No," He replied in a quiet tone.

"Well, that's shame. Now come on. There's a first time for everything. I made extra just for you and I'm gonna be offended if you don't eat it."

()()()

Daryl expected her to lead him over to Rick's. Instead of going through the front door, she led him to an entrance on the side. He now assumed she was taking him to the apartment she and Sophia shared.

It was small, but cozy. There was a tiny kitchen with a bar and she led him to one of the bar stools and insisted he have a seat. She went and grabbed two plates that she had stored in the oven. They both had eggs, bacon and grits on them. She set one down in front of him and the other beside him. She then went and got two glasses and walked over to the refrigerator.

"Orange juice okay?"

"Yeah, thanks," he said. He looked around again, wondering where Sophia was. He noticed she didn't have a plate ready for her. "Where's your little girl?" He questioned.

"Maggie and Glenn came and got her and Carl this morning. They took them to Maggie's dad's farm to ride horses. Here take these," she said as she placed two Motrin in front of him. "I know you're head's going to be killing you later."

He looked at her and smiled. He couldn't get why she was being so nice to him. So caring. He wasn't used to that.

"What?" She asked.

"It's nothing." He dismissed.

"No, tell me." She reached out to touch his arm. After she realized her blunder she pulled back and apologized immediately, remembering how he reacted last night.

"It's alright." He was quiet for a minute, then he decided to just tell her what he was thinking. "Why are you all being so nice to me? You don't even know me."

"That's true," she mused. "There was a time when I didn't know Rick and Lori either, or Glenn or Maggie, or Andrea or Michonne. You have to talk to people to get to know them, Daryl. Being nice to people helps with that process."

"Yeah, but they ain't me. Come on, Rick invited me over to say thanks for helping him out. It's not like I'm a part of your group now. It was just a onetime thing. I probably won't ever be back again."

Carol frowned. "I don't think so. You stayed here all night. You got drunk and Rick had to carry you to bed. If you two were in college, that would be the beginning of a beautiful friendship."

"Yeah, well we ain't in college," he barked. "Rick's a cop and I'm just some dumbass redneck."

"Rick doesn't care about all that. Did you notice how diverse the people here last night were? If you're a good person that's pretty much all Rick cares about in a friend."

"What makes you say I'm a good person?"

"I talked to you for a long time last night, Daryl. I can tell."

"Pffft."

"Anyway, even if you and Rick aren't friends, you're welcome here anytime. I mean it." She stood up and grabbed his plate and took it to the sink for him.

"Thanks." He said.

"You're welcome. Anyway, Rick has the keys to your bike if you wanna go up and get them. I've gotta go get dressed for the day. I hope I'll see you around."

()()()

Daryl exited her apartment and made his way to the front door. He knocked a few times before Rick answered.

"How ya feeling?" Rick asked.

"I slept good. Sorry about last night."

"It's alright. I've got a 12 year old. I've had far worse than beer on my couch. Carl had a virus last year. He hurled grape Koolaid everywhere."

Daryl let out a small laugh. "I'm just glad that I didn't make an ass out of myself. I do that a lot when I'm drunk."

"You didn't...Other than wanting to drive home on that bike...drunk. Come on man, do you have a death wish?"

"I don't know what I was thinking." Daryl shook his head.

"Other than that, you were okay. You called kept calling me officer friendly when Dale and I carried you to his RV. You seemed to find that hilarious."

Daryl snorted. "Well, thanks for having me over, Rick. I had a good time. Your friends, they seem like good people. Carol made sure I had breakfast this morning."

"She did?"

"Yeah. I figured she told you guys."

"No. We haven't seen her since Maggie picked up Carl and Sophia. She didn't mention she was going to invite you over to eat, though."

Rick sounded concerned. Almost like an over protective older brother. It made Daryl uncomfortable. "I better get going. I just came by to get my keys. Carol said ya had em."

"Yeah, I do...Hey, before you go, will you check something out for me?"

Daryl nodded.

()()()

Rick led him to the garage. Inside it, there was a small dirt bike sitting in the corner. It didn't look like it had been used in a long time.

"I got this for Carl last Christmas. The damn motor is locked up, though. I was wondering if you knew how to work on bikes too?"

"Yeah, I do."

"Well if you're interested I'd be willing to pay you to get this running again. It would mean a lot to Carl. I've been meaning to take it to get fixed, but somehow I never found the time."

Daryl thought about it a moment. He could use the cash. "Yeah, sure. No problem."

"Good deal. Could you come by Wednesday about 5 and we can start on it then? See what the problem is. Whatever parts you need I can order or we can find a place to buy them in town."

"Sure thing."

()()()

Daryl walked towards his bike, prepared to head home. He noticed Carol out of the corner of his eye walking down the road and she gave him a shy wave. "Where ya going?" He called out to her.

"Just for a walk. It's a pretty day. I don't have anything else to do with Sophia gone. I don't want to bother Lori and Rick. Living so close I'm sure they're sick of me by now."

Daryl looked at his bike, then back to her. "You ever ride one before?"

"Nope, never," she said.

"You wanna go for a ride?"

"Do you have an extra helmet?" She looked at him full of uncertainty.

"Nah, but you can wear mine." He motioned towards the bike. "Come on. There's a first time for everything, right?"

She smirked and walked towards the bike.

"Just sit on the back right here," he pointed to the seat.

She did as he said.

"Alright, now you're gonna wanna hold on to my waist." He realized he hadn't thought this through that well after he finished that statement.

She slowly moved her arms forward to wrap secure them around his waist. He tensed up at first, but he relaxed pretty quickly underneath her touch. Strangely enough, it felt kind of nice. He started the bike and they drove off down the road, clear blue skies and a bright shining sun beaming up above them on a perfect fall day.


	4. Chapter 4

**(Thanks for the reviews and for everyone who has read so far. I am enjoying writing this story and I hope that my readers are enjoying it too.)**

Daryl came by Rick's about 5 that Wednesday to work on Carl's dirt bike, just like he promised. He hadn't talked to any of his new friends since he dropped Carol off after taking her for a ride on his bike Sunday afternoon. He hadn't told her that he would be back this week, he was planning on stopping by to say hello and surprise her, but for all he knew Rick had mentioned that he was coming by anyway.

"Thanks for coming by Daryl," Rick said as he greeted him at the door.

"Yeah, no problem." Daryl stepped inside. He was holding several small white packages in his hand. "Ya'll like deer meat? Killed a big buck the other day. Figured I'd see if you wanted some of it."

"Sure, thanks," Rick replied, taking the meat from Daryl and walking towards the freezer to store it. "Lori makes pretty awesome deer spaghetti. This will come in handy."

"Carol home?" Daryl asked with a hint of nervousness in his voice.

"No, I think she'll l be back from work around 8. Why?" Rick shot his new friend a suspicious look.

"I just brought some for her too. I was gonna take it to her," He shrugged.

"You can leave it in the freezer if ya want. I can give it to her later. I'll tell her you dropped it by."

Daryl nodded. He walked towards the freezer and placed the deer meat he was saving for Carol in there.

()()()

The men headed to the garage and Daryl started to tear down the bike. They were soon joined by a curious Carl and Sophia.

"So you're gonna fix my dirt bike?" Carl asked Daryl, rather excitedly.

"I'm trying to." Daryl answered.

"That's so cool. Thanks!"

"How'd you break the son of a…," Daryl began, but noticed Rick giving him the eye. "Son of a gun," He corrected catching himself.

"I don't know." Carl shrugged. "Dad probably just bought a dud."

"Or, Carl didn't know how to shift gears right and didn't wait for me to teach him. So before I got home one day he had taken it in the back yard and tried to learn himself." Rick added

Daryl let out a small laugh. It sounded like something he would have done as a kid. He never waited for anyone to show him how to do anything. Then again, he wasn't lucky like Carl. He didn't really have anyone there to teach him. There was Merle, but he was gone half the time anyway. Either in juvie or once he was old enough, off with some two cent whore.

"Did you have one of these growing up, Mr. Dixon," Sophia asked quietly.

"Nah," He replied, "we didn't really have the money for stuff like this."

"So how'd you learn to ride?" Carl asked.

"My brother bought a bike when he was older. He taught me how to ride. I saved up my money and bought my own soon as I could. I was probably 17 or so."

"Can I get a motorcycle when I'm 17?" Carl asked his dad.

"No way!" Rick shouted. "You're mom had a fit when I got this for you and you only get to ride it in the back yard. There is no way she's gonna let me get you one of those to drive on the highway with other automobiles."

Carl hung his head in defeat.

()()()

A few hours later Daryl had discovered what parts he needed to repair Carl's bike. He and Rick came inside to look on Amazon and see they could find what they needed. They ordered the parts and it said that everything should be in by Friday. Daryl agreed to come back then and put everything together.

Lori walked up to Rick and Daryl and noticed the grease marks all over his hands and face. "You can wash up in the bathroom if you like. Dinner is ready. You're more than welcome to stay and eat if you want."

"I'm okay, thanks though," Daryl told her. "I should be getting going. I'll see you guys Friday."

Daryl headed outside and noticed the light coming from the basement. He looked ahead and saw another car parked in the driveway. He assumed it had to be Carol's. He decided to that he was going to walk down there and let her know about the deer meat he left for her with Rick. He knocked on the door and after a minute she answered.

"Hey stranger," she said with a small smile. She looked exhausted and she was still wearing her scrubs.

"Hey," He replied. "I didn't mean to bother you, I was at Rick's helping him work on Carl's bike. I just wanted to drop by and tell you that I left some deer meat for you at up Rick's. I was gonna bring it by earlier, but they said you was at work."

"That was sweet of you, Daryl. Thanks." She remained in the doorway, staring back at him. He looked awkward standing there with his hands in the pocket of his jeans. He had grease and oil smeared all over him, but he was still gorgeous. "Would you like to come in? Supper is almost ready. Sophia is washing up now."

"That's okay. I should…"

She cut him off. "Come inside, Daryl. Eat the free meal I'm offering you. We're in the south, it's rude to turn down an invitation to a free meal. A home cooked one no less. Besides, I made cookies."

She was persistent. He would give her that. She wasn't going to let him take no for an answer, and he wasn't sure that was a bad thing. He liked being around Carol. A lot. She was easy to talk to, understanding, and he got the feeling she genuinely cared for him. He had no idea why, seeing as how she barely knew him, but it made him feel kinda good about himself. To have a person like that want to be in his presence, it was a nice change.

He looked at her, offered her a sideways grin and stepped inside.

Three home cooked meals this week? He was starting to think he could get used to that.


	5. Chapter 5

**Here's my next chapter.**

Your friend is still here," Lori commented, while peeking through the blinds, eyeing Daryl's motorcycle still parked out by the curb.

"He probably just stopped by Carol's," Rick replied with a shrug.

"Yeah, that's what I thought," Lori said with a hint of annoyance in her voice.

Rick raised his eyebrows at his wife. He didn't see what the big deal was. Carol and Daryl seemed to get along great at the cookout Saturday and if he stopped in to say hey to her tonight, then good for them. Daryl seemed like a decent guy and he loved Carol to death. After all she went through with her ex-husband, Ed, she could use some good in her life.

Look, Rick, you need to talk to him. He doesn't need to be hanging out with her so much. First they spent practically all night side by side at the cookout, then she cooks him breakfast Sunday morning and he takes her for a ride on his bike, now he's dropping by to see her at night. I can see where this is going.

"What's the big deal, Lori? They're both adults. If they want to hang out, then let them. Daryl seems like a good guy."

" _Seems_ like a good guy. That's the key word here. We don't know him. You haven't even known him a week and now you're giving your blessing for him to go hook up with one of our best friends!"

"Hold on a second! I didn't say I was giving my blessing for them to hook up. Besides, you don't even know that they _are_ going to hook up or _if_ that's what either of them wants. He seems pretty lonely, maybe he just needs a friend."

"Yeah, she's lonely too. That's the problem."

"What?" Rick questioned his wife with a confused look on his face.

"At the cookout she kept commenting on how attractive he was. She hardly kept her eyes off of him the entire night. After he took her for a ride on his bike she had a smile on her face bigger than some school girl who just got kissed for the first time. She likes him, Rick. Trust me."

" _If_ she does, why does it have to be a bad thing? She has been divorced for six months now."

"Exactly! And do you remember _why_ they got divorced in the first place?"

Rick hung his head. "Yeah, I do," he said sadly.

"Okay then. Listen, I know you like Daryl and that you think he's a good guy, and I hope he is. I just don't want her getting mixed up with some other asshole. She's come so far, and she and Sophia are doing really good. I just don't think she should be jumping into a relationship with someone she barely knows. I can't see her go through something like she did with Ed again. So will you please talk to Daryl and let him know to back off?"

"I understand where you're coming from. I do, and I suppose you're right. I'll have a talk with him when he comes back by on Friday."

"Thank you," Lori said with a smile as she walked over to her husband and wrapped her arms around him.

()()()

Daryl came by Friday evening to finish fixing Carl's dirt bike just like he said he would. As he and Rick were in the garage talking while he was finishing up with the bike Daryl saw someone enter the garage out of the corner of his eye.

"Hey, T-Dog, how are you man?" Rick asked, extending his hand to the man who just entered the garage.

"I've been better, man. I had to fire one of my workers today," T-Dog replied regretfully.

"I'm sorry to hear that." Rick glanced over to where Daryl was teetering with the bike. "Oh, by the way. This is my friend Daryl."

Daryl crawled out from behind the bike and extended his hand to T-Dogg.

"Nice to meet you," T-Dog said, shaking his hand.

Daryl nodded and replied with a, "you too."

"So, what happened with your worker?" Rick asked.

"It was Axel. The new guy I told you about. He kept coming in late or not showing up at all. He was a good worker when he was there, it just got to a point that he was hardly ever there anymore. I can't have that. I need someone dependable, someone who works hard."

"Axel?" Daryl spoke up. "Was he an older guy, bout 50ish? Has a mustache and hair halfway down to his shoulders?"

"Yeah, that's him. Do you know him?" T-Dog questioned.

"Not really," Daryl shrugged, "he used to hang out with my brother some. He likes his drugs. Narcotics in particular. Otherwise he seemed like an okay guy, but it don't surprise me that he was flakey like that."

"That would explain a lot," T-Dog said shaking his head. "Man I swear, I can't find good help these days. I mean, Abraham, Rosita and Oscar do a damn good job, it's just that I need one more person to make things run smoothly."

Rick grinned and looked up at T-Dog. "You know, Daryl here has some experience with construction. He's a hard worker. He fixed me truck last weekend and has been out here working on this bike with me this week."

T-Dog eyed Daryl. "What all kind of construction have you done?"

"Lots," Daryl replied. "I helped build some of those houses a few years back two blocks from here in that new subdivision. I've built decks, pole barns, added on rooms to houses, done some electrical and some plumbing."

T-Dog pursed his lips and nodded, resting his hands on his hips. "I own my own company. We do a little bit of everything. It's a good business. We work 5 days a week, sometimes six, if a job stretches out and it needs to be finished. I work hard and I expect the same for anyone who works with me. If Rick is recommending you, and you're interested, then I'm willing to give you a shot. Stop by my house tomorrow morning and you can go with us to finish the job we would have been done with today if I didn't have to fire Axel's sorry ass."

"Hell yeah, man. Thanks, I appreciate it. Where do you live?" Daryl asked.

"Three houses down. It'll be the one on the left with a black mailbox. Has the name Douglass on it. Be here by 6:00 a.m. sharp. Do you live close?"

"I live about 30 minutes away, but I'll here."

"Great, see you then. Anyway, I stopped by to get my skill saw, Rick. I think I left it here when I put those shelves up for Lori."

"You did," Rick replied. "It's right over there. He pointed to a counter at the end of the garage."

T-dog retrieved to the skill saw. "Thanks, Rick. I'll see you in the morning Daryl." He waved goodbye to both the men and headed home.

"Thanks for the recommendation, Rick."

"No problem. T-Dog is a good guy. You would have met him Saturday, but he was finishing up a job that Axel didn't show up for last week, so he couldn't make it to the cookout. You haven't met Shane yet either, he's my partner and my best friend. I've known him for years."

Daryl shook his head. He was going to be hanging out with more cops? Merle would be giving him hell. Strangely, it didn't bother him that much. Ever since he met Rick, things had really been looking up for him. He met a lot of genuinely nice people, he was making some side money by helping Rick with this bike, now he got offered a job, and best of all, he'd met Carol.

He was almost sure she was the greatest person he had ever met in his life up to this point. She was beautiful, sweet, caring, and just someone he genuinely liked being around. He felt comfortable with her. He hadn't ever met a woman that he felt that way around before. He couldn't understand why someone like her was being so nice to someone like him.

He knew that a guy like him and girl like her would never work, especially since she had a little girl. He knew he didn't have any business trying to come into their life and complicate things, so he wasn't going to even think about trying that. He didn't know her well, but what he did know about her told him that she deserved the best, and he knew that he just wasn't it. What he did know was that he liked being around her, though, and that he wanted to be around her as much as he could.

Daryl stood up and brushed his hands off. "Well, the bikes done. I guess I'm going to head out."

"Alright, well thanks for fixing it up. I know Carl can't wait to ride it. You'll have to come by and go with us to Hershel's farm when I take him out there. I want him to have a lot of space to ride it when I show him the right way to do things this time."

Daryl laughed thinking about Carl messing the engine up in the first place. "Ya, just let me know when."

"Will do. Oh, and since you're going to be in the neighborhood meeting T-Dog for work, feel free to stop by anytime. I mean it. We always have room for you if you wanna eat or if you just wanna grab a beer or something.

"Thanks, Rick. I will. Oh, by the way, is Carol home?"

Shit. Rick thought to himself. He promised Lori he would talk to Daryl about him and Carol, but he hadn't brought it up yet because he wasn't sure he needed to. Yet, there he was wanting to know if she was home. "She is," Rick said hesitantly.

"What?" Daryl said, looking at Rick confused after he noticed his tone was off. "Something wrong?"

"No, not at all. I just, I need to talk to you about something." Rick ran his hands through his hair.

"So talk." Daryl said sharply.

Rick sighed. Daryl didn't look like the type of guy who would like being told what to do. And truthfully, Rick knew that telling him who he could and couldn't go after was over stepping some boundries. He had to do it, though. He had to look out for Carol's best interest. "Lori and I just noticed that you and Carol seemed to hit it off pretty well," Rick said cautiously. "I know she cooked you breakfast and that you gave her a ride on your bike, then when you left the house the other night we noticed your bike was still there and we know you had dinner with Carol and Sophia."

"Your point?" Daryl asked, a bit of harshness in his tone. He didn't like where this was going and he didn't like Rick beating around bush about it.

"From what I know of you, Daryl, you're a good guy. I wouldn't have recommended you to T-Dog if I didn't think that. It's just, well Carol went through a really bad divorce with Sophia's dad, Ed. I don't know what she's told you about all that, but Ed was a really, _really_ bad guy."

"What do you mean?" Daryl quickly said.

Rick saw the concern on his face. "I'm not sure it's my place to tell you, it's her story, not mine."

"You're the one who started with the story, Rick. So what did this guy do?"

Rick placed his hands on his hips. "I didn't tell you this, okay? You let her be the one to bring it up."

Daryl nodded.

"He used to beat her. It was pretty bad. We didn't know. She never told us. She would always keep the bruises hidden or if we saw something suspicious she always had a story for it. We just never thought something like that was happening. _Never_."

Daryl tightened his grip around the chair in front of him. He couldn't believe that someone could do that to her. "Sophia?" He questioned angrily. "Did he hit her too?"

Rick could hear the fury in his friend's voice and he noticed him clenching the chair tightly. "One night about six months ago, Carol called us crying. Apparently, Ed had come home in a really bad mood and he started beating up on her. He did a number on her. Bruised her ribs, she had to have stitches above her left eye. Well...Sophia ran to her mom after he got done. She was crying, Ed got mad, he hit her too. Knocked her to the ground. She had a black eye and a slight concussion. When he hit Sophia, Carol snapped. She managed to grab a gun that she knew he kept in a drawer. She shot him in the leg. She swore she would kill him if he ever put his hands on her or Sophia again. He ended up passing out from blood loss and pain.

Rick paused and swiped his hand over his face, chills soaring through his body from the memory of the horrors his friend endured. "Anyway," he continued, "she called us and told us what happened. We went and got her and Sophia and they've been with us ever since. There was some stuff on record I didn't know about. She had gone to shelters before with Sophia, even been to the emergency room once or twice. She just never pressed charges. As long as he wasn't hurting Sophia, she was going to put up with it. She was scared if she left that he would take Sophia and kill her. He told her many times he would. She couldn't stand the thought of him alone with her."

Daryl was pacing around the room now. He couldn't believe what he just heard. He would never be able to understand how sorry pieces of shit like Ed did what they did. Especially to a defenseless woman and child. "That's fucked up man! Fucked up! How could he do something like that to her? To Sophia? Worthless piece of shit!" Daryl yelled as he slung his arms out to the side."

"I know," Rick agreed. "If we had known before, we would have stopped it. I wish she would have told us...I like you Daryl, and you're a grown man, and I can't tell you what to do, but be careful with her, okay? She's been through a lot and she's like family to us. Her and Sophia both. I don't ever won't to see anyone hurt them again, and I'm _not_ going to."

Daryl stared blankly at Rick. Was he telling him to stay away from Carol? Did he think that he liked her and he was going to hurt her or use her? Did he basically just tell him that he wasn't good enough for her? "Look, it ain't like that, okay? I like Carol. I like being around her, but I ain't trying to jump in her pants or nothing. I ain't trying nothing with her, okay? And if you think I would _ever_ do something like that sick bastard did to her or that little girl, you're dead wrong! Daryl growled. 'If I ever see the son of bitch that did it to them, I'll beat his ass myself. Because you're right. Carol don't deserve that, neither does Sophia. They deserve a whole hell of a lot better than that prick could give them.


	6. Chapter 6

**(Thanks for the reviews! I hope you all are enjoying it so far. I plan to get to a Daryl and Sophia scene soon, I am just still mapping it out in my head how I want that to go.)**

Daryl stormed out of Rick's garage after their little exchange concerning Carol, Sophia, Ed and Daryl's intentions. He was mad and he knew if he stayed there any longer he was going to go off on Rick. It wasn't that he was necessarily mad at Rick for advising him not to get involved with Carol. He understood that Rick was just being protective, and after he found out the real reason for her divorce from Ed, deep down he didn't blame him one bit.

He was more so mad at Ed for putting Carol and Sophia through that. They didn't deserve that, hell no one did, but especially not someone as good hearted as Carol seemed to be and a kid as sweet as Sophia was. Sure, he didn't really know Sophia well, or Carol for that matter, but when he was around her she was a sweet kid. Good manners, soft spoken, she was pretty shy and guarded really. He assumed now that it came from growing up having that sack of shit for a dad.

If he ever saw Ed, he was determined he would beat the shit out of him. There was no question. Unfortunately for Rick, Ed was nowhere to be found and all of his anger had to be channeled at someone, and that someone was just going to have to be Rick. Okay, maybe a little anger was just towards Rick. After all, in a way, he had deemed Daryl not good enough for Carol back in the garage. Even though Daryl himself didn't believe he was good enough for someone like that, it didn't sit with him well hearing Rick confirm that belief.

He quickly headed towards his bike that was parked out by the curb. Once he hopped on he just sat there for a second and ran his hands through his hair. He didn't want to go home, there was nothing there. Barely any food, he didn't have satellite or cable, he didn't even have a phone. It was dark now, so going for a hunt to clear his mind wasn't really a possibility either. He briefly considered going to bar and getting a few drinks with the money Rick had given him for fixing the bike, but bars were really more Merle's scene, not his. Drinking alone when he was upset wasn't the best idea anyway and he also had to be up early and meet T-Dog for that new job Rick helped him land. This was all getting too damn complicated for him.

He saw headlights approaching, it turns out it was Carol's car entering the driveway. He thought about seeing what she was up to, but it probably wasn't the best idea considering the conversation he and Rick just had. She got out of the car and headed to the side of door to enter her apartment.

"Hey," Daryl called out involuntarily.

She jumped a little. She wasn't expecting someone outside and she hadn't noticed him when she pulled in the driveway. "Hey, Daryl," zhe said with a smile. "You scared me."

"Sorry," he mumbled. Suddenly he was feeling awkward and realized getting her attention might not have been the best idea. He wasn't planning on it, it just kind of happened. Besides, he really didn't wanna go home right now.

"It's alright. Are you okay?" She noticed he was looking down at the ground and not at her and he was chewing on his lower lip.

"Mhm," he replied.

"Do you wanna come in? I just off work and I'm too tired to cook, but I was gonna go see what Rick and Lori were having. You could join us."

"Nah, I'm good," he replied.

"Okay?" She said, a little confused. He was acting distant and elusive, despite the fact he'd been the one to get her attention. "Well, I guess I am gonna go in and eat. I'm starving. I'll see you later." She gave a slight wave and turned around.

"Carol, wait!"

She stopped and turned around to look at him.

Do you, um, do you wanna go get something to eat? He asked nervously, all the while looking at the ground and not up at her. She didn't say anything for a minute and he finally looked up to see her reaction. She was looking at him with raised eyebrows and arms crossed over her chest. "What?" He finally said, looking her in the eye. "Ain't you ever gone out to eat with somebody before?"

She shook her head and gave a small smile. "Daryl Dixon, are you asking me on a date?" She joked.

"Stop," he muttered. His cheeks flushed and he looked down again. "I'm just trying to repay ya for cooking for me, now come on. I ain't got all day. Go get Sophia and let's go."

"Sophia's not here. Andrea picked her up from school. Andrea's sister Amy is in town and they are doing this whole girl's day. She knew I had to work late and Sophia wanted to stay there, so I am just gonna get her in the morning."

Daryl nodded. He was actually somewhat glad, not because he didn't like being around Sophia, but because he knew he couldn't bring anything up about Ed or the divorce around her. She didn't need to relive or be reminded of any of that. He really wanted to talk to Carol about all that, and tonight might be the perfect time. "You coming or not? He asked with a hint of desperation in his voice.

"My car or your bike?" She asked.

"Get on," he said.

He handed her his helmet and she hopped on the back. She wrapped her arms around him, just like last time he slightly tensed up when she did, but quickly relaxed into her touch.

"Where are we going?" She asked curiously

"Wherever ya want. You know this neighborhood better than me."

()()()

She directed him to a small Café' located downtown. There was a bar inside it, but it wasn't that crowded, especially for a Friday night. He couldn't take his eyes off the colorful cat statue that was displayed on a shelf on the wall. It was a strange and unique piece of art. He also noticed some pictures of locals plastered on the wall. He recognized one picture as Rick, Lori and Carl.

The two talked and ate. Daryl was a lot less agitated than he had been at Rick's. Now he felt calm and relaxed. She had that effect on him. He wasn't sure that it was a good thing. He let his guard down with her too told him about her day at work and asked about how things went with Rick and Carl's dirt bike, which caused him to make a face, but instead of telling her everything that happened, he decided to just go with the good news. "Rick's friend T-Dog came by. He offered me a job."

"That's great, Daryl!" She leaned forward and touched his arm.

His eyes flicked to hers and didn't flinch this time. He was learning she was a touchy person. Normally, he didn't like that, but he was getting used to it with her.

She noticed he didn't pull away and smiled to herself.

"Great for me, not so great for Axel," Daryl said with a small laugh.

Carol rolled her eyes. "Axel's something. That's for sure."

You know him? Daryl questioned.

"Yeah. He helped T-Dog put up some shelves at Rick and Lori's and he has been to the house with T-dog a few times. I think he liked me."

"What?" Daryl said,feeling taken aback. He didn't think he was good enough for her, but he damn sure knew some pill head like Axel wasn't good enough for her.

"Well, first he hit on Hershel's sixteen year old daughter, Beth. I set him straight about that pretty quick. Then he countered that he thought she was 18, because that's so much better when you're almost 50."

She and Daryl snorted at the time. "Anyway," she continued, "he then proceeded to tell me he would have gone after me if I wasn't a lesbian. You know, because I have short hair and all."

Daryl looked at her and laughed again. He couldn't believe the nerve of this guy. Although, it didn't surprise him. He wasn't the smartest person whenever Merle was hanging around him.

"I corrected him quickly, and as he was about to try and turn on the charm, I quickly let him know that wasn't happening either."

Daryl looked at her, half amazed and half relieved. Amazed, because this person who, a little more than six months ago, was taking beatings from her husband seemed to be so outspoken now and sure of herself. She was unbelievably nice and sweet, but he had a hard time seeing her taking shit from anyone. The relief stemmed from knowing that she wasn't considering someone like Axel. He knew he couldn't have her and he didn't need her, but he didn't want to see her with someone who wasn't good for her. "You're a tough bitch, you know that?" He joked.

She blushed, then flitted her eyes down. "I'm not as touch as you think."

"Can I ask ya something?" Daryl said with a hint of uncertainty in his voice.

"Sure," she replied.

"What happened with you and your ex-husband? I don't ever hear ya talk about him and I haven't heard ya mention Sophia spending any time with him." He chose his phrasing carefully.

"Daryl, can we not talk about this right now? Please?"

He nodded. "Sorry," he said lowly. He could tell she was becoming upset.

"It's okay," she said. "So, since you're taking this job with T-dog, does this mean you're going to stay around here for while?" She asked hopefully. She had brought the question up to change the subject, but she did genuinely want to know. She was really hoping his answer would be yes.

Daryl nodded. "Ain't got no where else to go for now. Like I told ya that first night we met, Merle and I came back after our old man passed away. We were gonna sort through his shit and head out. He got busted for drugs before that could happen and he's gonna be gone for a while. Might as well stay and make some money." He shrugged.

()()()

They finished eating and just sat there talking for a while, but it was already late when they got there. After a while they noticed the waitress and bartender starting to do some cleaning up and decided to head out.

He pulled up to the curb and he was planning on dropping her off and heading home, after all, he had to be up early and he didn't wanna screw up by being late his first day.

"Come inside?" Carol asked him as she climbed off the bike.

He didn't answer her, instead he just threw his right leg over the side of the bike and followed her to the door. He found it nearly impossible to tell her no. He was pretty sure he looked like a lost little puppy and it made him feel like a complete dumbass.

"Coffee?" She asked him as the entered her apartment.

"Sure," he replied.

She brought him a cup and had one for herself in her hand. "Do you mind if I go change real quick?" I'm kinda tired of being in scrubs.

"Go ahead," he replied. He went and took a seat on the couch while he waited for her to return.

She came back out from the bedroom with a pair of black leggings on and a gray tank top. She movedto sit across from him. The tank top was pretty low cut in the front. He looked her up and down, taking in all of her features. He noticed that, aside from having freckles on her face, she also had some on her chest, around her shoulder blades, and on her back too. Damn, he thought to himself, this woman is beautiful. He wished that things were different. That he was different. Maybe is some other world.

She noticed that he had been looking at her for a minute without saying anything and blushed. "Daryl?" She called out breaking him out of his thoughts.

Before looking back up at her, he noticed prominent scar on her shoulder blade. Suddenlh, he remembered his conversation with Rick earlier and everything that Ed had done. He had pushed it out of his mind so they could enjoy dinner. Now that he was alone with her and he could visibly see a scar, onr he was willing to bet that asshole gave her, he was getting upset again.

"What happened?" He asked with a hint of anger in his vice.

"Excuse me?" She replied confused.

"To your arm. The scar." He pointed.

"I, uh, I fell. Dislocated my shoulder pretty bad. Had to have surgery." She said as she shifted uncomfortably in her seat. She flicked her eyes away from him and was starting off towards the kitchen.

He eyed her again, suddenly noticing more marks and scars scattered about her body. "And above your eye?" He questioned.

"Ran into a door." She said quietly. She didn't want to tell him. She felt like a complete dumbass for staying with Ed for so long and letting him treat her like that. She didn't think he would understand. She didn't want to be judged, and she really didn't want to relive it by telling the story.

"You can tell me the truth, ya know." His voice was soft, gentle even, a tone she hadn't heard him use before. Nothing like the normal gruff one he so often spoke with.

She looked him in his eyes. Those beautiful blue eyes he had. Ones that seemed to be begging, pleading with her to tell him what happened. She wanted to tell him. She really did, but she just couldn't talk about it. She couldn't even tell Rick and Lori until things got so bad that he hit Sophia and they were her closest friends. She probably wouldn't have then if she hadn't grabbed the gun and shot him in the leg. "What's it matter, Daryl?" She said raising her voice a little. A strong defensive nature rising deep within her.

He stood up, glancing at her, she looked hurt, angry, and sad. He felt like he was causing that and that made him feel like a prick. He needed to damage control. and fast. He went to lift his shirt, but hesitated before he was able to bring it above his navel. He had never shown anyone this before and he didn't know why he was showing her this now, but he felt like he needed to. So she would know that she could tell him. lowly, he pulled the shirt up, farther and farther until he was exposing what he needed her to see, finally he turned to show her his back.

She gasped as she saw the jagged scars up strown and down his back. She covered her mouth with her hand.

"I get it, ya don't wanna talk about it," he said as he quickly pulled his shirt back down. "It don't change what happened though. It's part of who ya are, ya know, but that don't mean it's you."

"Daryl, I'm sorry, I…"

He shook his head." Don't be, okay? It's just life. You learn to live with it. My dad was an asshole, just like your ex-husband is. Sorry pieces a shit. Plain and simple. I didn't have anyone there to protect me, but if he ever comes around again, you just let me know. I'll take care of it."

She looked up at him and met his gaze. She had no idea why was telling her this. He didn't have to. "You don't have to do that, Daryl." She could hear the strained emotion in her own voice.

"I know," he told her. " But I'm here if ya need me. Not just for you either, Sophia too." Things were getting deep and he was feeling uncomfortable. He rubbed the back of his neck nervously. "Anyway, I should go. I'll see ya around, okay?"

"Daryl!" she called out.

He turned around to look at her. Her eyes were tear stained. "Thank you. For everything," she choked out barely above a whisper.

He nodded at her, then bolted out the door.


	7. Chapter 7

So, did you have a talk with Daryl?" Lori questioned her husband

"Yeah, I did." Rick rubbed his temples. He was still reeling from the way Daryl stormed off after their talk in the garage."

"I'm guessing that it didn't do much since you're in here and I haven't heard his motorcycle leave yet. So, I'm assuming he's still at Carols."

"I told him about Ed." Rick sighed. "He got pretty upset when he heard what he was doing to Carol and what he did to Sophia."

Lori raised her eyebrows and looked at her husband sternly.

"I know it wasn't my place to tell him that, but I just didn't want him to think I was asking him not to go after because I didn't think he was good enough or whatever. I wanted him to get why we were being protective and why we didn't think Carol needed to be with anyone right now."

"And you think he understood that? Because we both know where he is right now."

"Look Lori, he was upset about what Ed did to her. He understands where I'm coming from and he said that he isn't going after her and I believe him. He has been nothing but honest and up front since I met him, I have no reason to doubt him," Rick replied, becoming slightly annoyed with his wife.

"Then why is he downstairs, Rick?"

"He cares about her. They're friends. I can't tell him not to be friends with her and you can't tell her not to be friends with him. They're adults, and as much as you might not like it, we can't watch her and Sophia 24/7 and protect them from Ed or anyone else like him. Having Daryl and her become close might be a good thing. He can help keep an eye on them too."

Lori just shook her head. She didn't trust Daryl the same way that Rick did. It's not that she didn't like him, she just didn't know him, and Rick didn't _really_ know him either. She just wished that he would be a little more cautious.

()()()

Daryl had a good first day on the job with T-dog, Abraham, Rosita, and Oscar. The four of them meshed well together and they were all hard workers. Daryl seemed to fit into that mix from the jump. In fact, they were able to finish up the job within a few hours and they were all free to enjoy the rest of their Saturday.

T-dog seemed impressed with him and told him that he wanted him to be a permanent fixture of the crew. He now had a full time job, and a pretty good paying one at that, he thought to himself as T-dog paid him for the labor he had done today.

Daryl hadn't anticipated finishing the job up as early as they did. He still had some daylight left and he figured he had time to kill since he wouldn't need to work again Monday. He figured he needed to go by Rick's and make sure that they were good after he had stormed off last night.

He knocked on the front door to Lori and Rick's house. Lori was the one to answer.

"Hey Daryl. How was your first day?" She asked.

"It was good. T-dog and the crew are pretty cool. Is Rick here?"

"Yeah, come on in. He's in the backyard with Carl and Sophia."

Daryl walked inside and headed towards the back door. He saw Carl, Rick and Sophia in the backyard. It looked like they were practicing soccer. Rick was out there kicking the ball with them. Daryl shook his head. This guy should get freaking father of the year, he thought to himself. His dad never would have done anything like that for him or Merle. "Hey Rick!" Daryl called out getting the other man's attention.

Rick looked up when the sound of Daryl's voice pierced his ears. "Hey man. How was your first day?"

"It was good," he replied. "He wants me to work with him full time. Can't complain. Thanks again for the recommendation."

"No problem," Rick said.

"Look, can we talk for a sec?" Daryl asked.

"Yeah," Rick said. He quickly told Carl and Sophia that he would be right back and joined Daryl on the back deck. "What's up?"

"Nothing. I just wanted to say, well, I'm sorry I got pissed last night. It wasn't about you, ya know. When ya told me about," He paused and looked over at Sophia as she and Carl were kicking the soccer ball back and forth. He didn't want to her to hear them talking about what her piece of shit dad had done, he dropped his voice just above a whisper, then continued, "what that asshole did", he continued, "I just lost it man. I know what it's like living with someone like that. It's just fucked up, ya know? I can't stand someone who can hurt a woman or a kid. Special place in hell for people like that."

Rick nodded. He'd had no idea that Daryl grew up in an abusive home, but it proved Lori was right, they really didn't know him well. Rick was starting to get to know him, though. And the more he got to know, the more sure he became that he really was a good guy. "We're good, man. I get it, and even if you were mad at me, I would get that too. I mean, I got up in your business and I was telling you what you could and couldn't do."

"You're looking out for Carol. I get it. Nothing wrong with that. You're right to. You don't know me well," Daryl said with a shrug.

The men stood in silence for a moment before Carl called out to his dad.

"Dad, are you coming back? You promised that you would help us get ready for our game Tuesday!" His son whined.

"I'm coming Carl," Rick replied. "Well, I guess I better get back to them."

Daryl nodded. He was about to leave, when Sophia called out to him.

"Mr. Dixon, will you help us practice too?"

"Oh, um, I don't know Sophia. I don't know much bout soccer." He replied awkwardly, while shoving his hands deep in his pockets.

"That's okay," She replied. "You can be the goalie. You just have to stand there," she pointed at the goal, "and you try to block the ball when we kick towards the goal."

Daryl groaned. He couldn't think of an answer as to why he couldn't. He didn't really have anywhere else to be, after all. Then he thought about how she didn't have her dad here to practice with her and how the man was a complete prick anyway. He thought about everything her dad put her through and how his own dad had put him through the same shit and worse. She was just a kid, a sweet, innocent kid. Playing soccer wasn't going to kill him and it beat being home alone in that shack.

He nodded and headed towards the goal. Rick looked at his friend and shook his head, then gave him a small smile.

()()()

They stayed in the backyard with Carl and Sophia for about an hour. The weather was cool, but he had worked up a sweat running around out there. Truthfully, he'd had fun running around with Rick, Carl, and Sophia. He didn't know much about soccer, but they filled him on what he needed to know and he got the gist of it. They ended up playing a short game with Rick and Carl against him and Sophia. He scored a goal on Rick and was pretty impressed with himself seeing as he had never played before.

"Thanks for helping us practice," Carl told Daryl.

"No problem, kid." He replied as he eagerly chugged a bottle of water that Rick handed him.

"Will you come to our game Tuesday?" Carl asked him. His eyes were full of hopeful anticipation.

"Yeah, please come, Mr. Dixon. Please?" Sophia begged. He couldn't help but notice she gave him the same hopeful look that her mom did whenever she was asking him to stay for dinner.

"I'll try," Daryl reluctantly agreed. "What time does it start?"

"Starts at six," Rick chimed in. "It's over at the rec department."

"If I get off work early enough, I'll be there," He said.

"You promise?" Sophia beamed.

"Promise," Daryl mumbled.

His life was getting too weird. It all started with hanging out in the suburbs one Saturday and now he was agreeing to go to kid's soccer games, and he didn't even have kids!


	8. Chapter 8

Daryl left Rick's shortly after their soccer game that Saturday. He was going to drop by and see Carol, but her car wasn't home. He casually asked Sophia where she was at when Rick wasn't paying attention and she had told him that her mom was picking up a shift for her friend, Tara, at the hospital.

He had spent the rest of his time on Sunday trying to get an older truck that belonged to his dad running. The weather was getting colder, and although he didn't mind driving his motorcycle in the cold air, he didn't want to have to drive it whenever it was cold and raining. Monday had been rough day at work and he had gone straight home afterwards. So, he hadn't seen Rick, Carol or anyone else in a few days.

By the time Tuesday rolled around he was intending to keep his promise to go to Carl and Sophia's soccer game, but things at work were going kind of slow. They weren't working far from the rec department, and he figured if he picked up the pace a little he could get out in time to make it there. "Come on y'all, pick up the pace we're wasting daylight!" Daryl shouted to the rest of the crew.

T-dog had noticed that Daryl was moving on high speed for the last hour. It was now approaching 6:00 p.m. and they still had two pieces of metal left to put on the roof.

"You got somewhere to be, Dixon?" Abraham shouted

"Yeah, you got a hot date?" Oscar teased.

"Shut up," Daryl huffed. "I'm just trying to get done because I promised that I'd be somewhere tonight."

"Where you gotta be?" T-dog asked

Daryl bit his bottom lip. If he told them that he wanted to leave to go to Carl and Sophia's soccer game, he was pretty sure that all of them would laugh at him. He didn't think they would understand why he wanted to go. To be honest, he wasn't completely sure why he wanted to go so bad, but he had made Sophia a promise to try and be there and he thought that he needed to make good on that promise. "Just got somewhere to be," Daryl replied in a low growl.

"Rosita and I kind of have somewhere we need to be too," Abraham added.

"Oh yeah, your kids soccer game is tonight, isn't it?" T-dog said

"Yeah," Abraham replied. "I missed the one last week, I hate to miss this one. You know I don't get to be there for them as much since the divorce."

Well shit, Daryl thought. He was going to be busted after all.

"If we aren't done by 6:15, the three of you go ahead and head out. I know this is important to you, Abraham. And Daryl, I have no idea where you're going, but you've been working hard these past few days and you don't seem like the type of guy who would just wanna bail out early, so if we aren't done by then Oscar and I will finish up."

"Thanks," Abraham, Daryl and Rosita replied.

()()()

All of them ended up getting the last two pieces of tin on and were able to leave a little after 6:15. Abraham and Rosita immediately headed to the rec department, but Daryl didn't want it to be too obvious that he was going to the same place. He knew that they would wonder why he didn't just come out and say it in the first place. So, he looped around to the gas station to fill up his bike and then headed down to the rec department.

Rick, Lori, Carol, Andrea and Shane were all sitting together on the bleachers watching the soccer game when Rick looked over and noticed Daryl walking towards them. "Well, I'll be damned," Rick said as he tapped Lori on the knee and pointed towards Daryl walking towards them. He gave his wife a smug smile. He hoped the fact that Daryl came to the soccer game like he said he was going to would give Lori a better insight into his character and his intentions.

Carol saw Rick and Lori looking off to the left and noticed Daryl walking towards them. All she had heard since Saturday was Sophia talking about Daryl playing soccer with them and how he was going to come to their game today if he got off work in time. So she was more than happy to see him show up. She looked at him and smiled as he approached them with his hands awkwardly shoved his pockets.

"Hey, Daryl," Andrea said. "Good to see you again."

Shane looked at Daryl and then back at Andrea, then at Lori and Rick. He hadn't met the man yet, but he heard Rick talk about him a good bit the past week. He saw that the man was wearing ripped up jeans, a dirty button-up shirt, and a leather jacket. He wasn't impressed, to say the least.

Daryl saw the way Shane was looking at him and he didn't like it. He had no idea who he was, but assumed he was with Andrea by the way they were sitting. Andrea was leaned in close to him and Shane had an arm around her.

Rick noticed the two men eyeing one another and decided to break the tension.

"Shane, this is Daryl. He's the guy I told you about that fixed my truck that day I was stranded. Daryl, this is Shane, he's my partner at work and he's been my best friend since high school."

Shane stood up and extended his hand to the man. He had a smirk on his face after Rick's comment about him being his best friend. To Daryl it seemed like Shane may have been a little jealous that Rick had been hanging out with him lately.

"Nice to meet ya," Shane said.

"You too," Daryl said shaking the man's hand.

After the hand shake was done both men were still standing up eying each other.

"I'm glad you made it, Daryl," Carol said to him with a smile.

He turned around to face her and gave her a small smile and a shrug. "It's nothing."

"Sit down," she said, patting the spot on the bleacher beside her.

He did as she said and took a seat next to her. "So, what's the score?"

()()()

It was around 7:30 when the game was finally over. Sophia and Carl's team won. Both kids excitedly ran up to meet their parents and their parent's friends after the game. Carl and Sophia were both thrilled to see that Daryl had actually shown up. They bounded over to where Carol and Daryl were talking first.

"Thank you for coming Mr. Dixon!" Sophia said with a huge grin on her face.

"No problem, Sophia. You and Carl played a good game."

"Thanks!" Carl grinned.

"Hey little man, good job," Shane called out to Carl.

The boy ran over to Shane Andrea leaving Sophia by herself with her mom and Daryl. She looked over to where Carl had gone and back at her mom questioningly.

"Go ahead, you can go over there too." Carol gave her permission to follow, reading her daughter's look without the girl having to ask directly. As the girl bounced off, Carol turned her attention back to the man standing next to her. "Daryl, again, I just want to say thank you for coming."

"Like I said, it's nothing."

"No, it _is_ something. It meant a lot to her and you didn't have to come."

Before he could say anything Rick called out to both of them, "We're gonna take Carl out to eat and celebrate their win. You guys wanna come?"

Daryl looked to Carol and made a displeased face. He figured Shane was coming and even though he had just met him, he wasn't crazy about him. It had been a long day at work and he didn't have the energy to play nice tonight.

"Actually," Carol replied, "we're gonna go back to my place and eat. I put something I the crock pot before work and I would hate for it to waste. I just asked Daryl if he wanted to join us."

"You sure? You could always just eat that tomorrow and come with us tonight," Lori said.

"I'm sure. You guys go ahead and have fun. We'll see you tomorrow. Come on Sophia."

Daryl was walking towards the parking lot with Carol and Sophia when he heard someone call out his name. He turned around and saw Abraham and Rosita. He looked at Carol and said, "Give me a sec?"

"Go ahead," She replied.

()()()

He jogged over to meet up with them.

"We didn't know this is where you had to be. Do you have a kid that plays soccer?" Rosita asked

Daryl shook his head. "Nah, I don't have no kids."

"So why ya here?" Abraham asked.

Daryl looked over to where Carol and Sophia were standing waiting on him.

They followed his gaze and noticed who he was with.

"So, you and Carol?" Abraham asked

"We're just friends," Daryl replied quietly.

Rosita and Abraham smiled at one another, but didn't say anything.

"Alright, Daryl. Well, we will see you in the morning, have a good night," Rosita said as she and Abraham walked away.

()()()

Once they returned to Carol's he was surprised to see she actually did have roast and potatoes in the crock pot. He half assumed that she had just made up that story to get him out of having to go to dinner with Rick's friend Shane.

The three of them ate and discussed Sophia's soccer game and Daryl's new job. Daryl had to admit that having a home cooked meal and eating dinner with Sophia and Carol was something he enjoyed. It was much better than sitting home alone and cooking by himself or back in the days that he and Merle would live off of fast food or microwaved meals. It wasn't that Daryl didn't know how to cook, he could cook a few things, but cooking a big meal just for himself wasn't really worth the trouble. Besides, he and Merle often lived out of hotels when they were bouncing from town to town. Most of the time they didn't have a kitchen to cook a proper meal in.

Shortly after they finished dinner Daryl realized that he needed to get going. He still hadn't had a shower and he had to be up at 5 the next morning. Plus ,he knew Carol had to work the next day and Sophia had school, so they would be needing to go to bed soon too. "Thanks for dinner it was really good," Daryl said with a smile as he got up from the bar stool he was sitting in.

"Anytime," Carol replied.

"I guess I best be heading out," He said. "Work comes early for us both.".

Carol nodded. "Sophia, why don't you tell Daryl goodnight and then go get a bath. I'll be there when you're done to help to tuck you in, okay?"

"Yes ma'am," Sophia replied to her mother. "Goodnight, Mr. Dixon."The little girl said with a crooked smile as she took off towards her bedroom to grab a change of clothes.

"I'll walk you out," Carol told him.

()()()

Once they reached the outside they both stopped in front of the door.

"Thanks for rescuing me from having dinner with Shane," Daryl told her.

"No problem. I could tell that you and Shane didn't exactly hit it off."

"No kidding," Daryl replied.

Shane's not that bad once you get to know him. Sure, he is arrogant and he is extremely territorial and protective, but he has a good heart. Like Rick."

"We'll see," Daryl replied cooly.

"I'm serious. Shane helped me a lot too after everything with Ed. He's watched out for me and Sophia He just...I think he feels threatened because Rick has made a new friend. He is used to being top dog and he doesn't want anyone taking that spot."

"Ain't taking no one's spot," Daryl mumbled.

Carol smiled at him slyly. "Maybe."

They both grew quiet for a moment. Carol finally broke the silence. "Anytime you wanna come by for dinner, you're welcome here. I know you're going to be in the neighborhood since you have to drive to T-dog's house every day. I don't see any reason for you to have to drive home and cook. I always have something ready for me and Sophia and there's plenty for you."

"You're gonna make me gain 20 pounds if you keep feeding me this good," Daryl joked.

"I'm sure I can find a way for you to work it off," She teased as she raised her eyebrows suggestively

Daryl blushed and flicked his eyes to the concrete steps. "Stop."

She embarrassed him. She could tell, but it just made her smile because he looked like a little boy as he stood there looking at the ground and kicking his shoes back and forth. "Goodnight, Mr. Dixon," She said as she turned to go back inside.

"Hey, Carol?" He called out.

She turned to face him.

"When's the next game?"

"Thursday " She replied.

"You think it would be alright if I come?"

"It' be more than alright," She assured him with a smile. "You can come to as many as you like."

"Alright," he said and started to walk away. He stopped and spun around to say one more thing. "By the way, what's on the menu for tomorrow night?"

"Come over and find out." And with that, she turned to walk inside, biting back a huge grin.


	9. Chapter 9

**(This chapter jumps ahead a few weeks. Sometimes I will do that, but I will provide some backstory to what happened the last few weeks. Hope you all enjoy!)**

The next several weeks went by pretty fast for Daryl. He was enjoying his new job and having dinner at Carol's had become a regular thing for him. He kept trying to tell himself the prospect of a hot, free meal was what made him stop by her house several times a week, but if he was being honest with himself, that wasn't _really_ all there was to it.

The more he got to know her, the more he found himself wanting to be around her. She made him laugh, she cooked for him, she looked out for him, and she always made it a point to ask him about his day. He had never had someone as caring as her in his life before. He wanted to be around her as often as possible.

He'd gotten into the habit of staying after he ate supper with them to help her clean up. He had told her that it wasn't fair for her to have to cook and then clean up all by herself, and that part was true. He didn't think she was his slave or that she should have to do anything for him, but it also gave him an excuse to hang around a little longer and spend some extra time with her.

()()()

It was a Saturday and Daryl didn't have to work. They had finished the job they were working on Friday afternoon, which worked out good for him. He had promised Carol earlier in the week that he would go with her to look at a house she was interested in getting. She wanted him to check things out and make sure it would be a good buy. Of course, he had agreed. He found that there was rarely a time she asked him to do something that he didn't readily agree to it.

He was finding that to be true for Sophia, too. The more time he spent with her the more he found himself growing attached to the young girl. He attended her soccer games whenever he could after work and he had made it a habit of stopping by Rick's to help her and Carl practice for their games. He related to her in a lot of ways. He had dealt with an abusive father as a child too, and even though she was lucky enough that her mom ended up getting her out of that situation, he could tell it still affected her. She was quiet and shy, it took her a while to warm up to new people. He'd been the same way.

Daryl arrived at Carol's around 2:30 that afternoon. They were supposed to be meeting the real estate agent around 3:00. They decided to just ride his bike out there. The house was only about 10 minutes from Rick and Lori's.

"You ready to go?" He asked her as she greeted him at the door.

"Yeah, just let me grab my purse," she said.

She grabbed it and they walked towards the curb together, strolling side by side, so close their elbows were almost touching.

"Sophia with Lori?"

"Yeah. She took her and Carl down to the skating rink. I just don't wanna get her hopes up until I know for sure that we are getting this place. I don't want her to fall in love with it and then it not to work."

Daryl looked her and nodded, the statement almost gave him chills. He understood that feeling all too well.

()()()

They arrived at the house and the real estate agent gave them a tour. It was a cute, brick house. Probably about 20 years old or so. It seemed to have been kept in pretty good condition. There were three bedrooms inside and two bathrooms. There was a good sized fire place in the den. It wasn't as big or as fancy as where Rick and Lori lived, but it was nice and he noticed kids outside playing when they pulled into the neighborhood. It seemed like it would be a good place for Sophia. The agent took them out to the backyard when they were done touring the inside, it was about twice the size of the front yard. It was enclosed with one of those wood privacy fences and there were several oak trees back providing shade. There was one especially large tree in the middle of the yard that had a treehouse perched in it that caught Daryl's eye.

He watched curiously as Carol took off running once the woman led them out into the big backyard.

"There is so much space!" She squealed. making her away around the yard. She had a huge smile plastered on her face.

Daryl couldn't help but smile himself as he watched her. She was so happy and he could tell how much getting this place meant to her. "What do ya think?" He asked as he walked up behind her.

"I love it. It seems perfect. But that's why I brought you. I need to know I'm making the right decision and I'm not getting something I'll regret later. So tell me, do you think it's worth it?"

He looked at her and then back at the agent who was standing by the back door. "Can we have a minute?" He called out to her.

"Sure, I'm going to step in the front yard and make a phone call. Come get me whenever you're done," the agent replied as she stepped back inside the house.

"There are a few minor issues," he said. "Nothing that can't be fixed. I'd get rid of the carpet in the bedrooms and living room and add wood floor throughout like they have in the kitchen and hallways. A few of the cabinets could use replacing and the bedrooms could use some fresh paint."

He saw her face fall, all of the former enthusiasm she'd been showing draining from her. "Hang on, woman," he joked. "I wasn't done. I was going to say that those things aren't a big deal and I could fix them up for ya."

"I can't ask you to do that, Daryl…I"

"You ain't asking. I'm volunteering."

"It's too much. You work all the time anyway, it wouldn't be fair."

"You been cooking for me almost every night the past month. Consider it repayment. You might as well agree, I'm not taking no for an answer."

"So you really think I should get it?" She smiled brightly, her enthusiasm rapidly beginning to return.

"Well, it does depend on one more thing," He said with a small shrug.

"What's that?" She asked curiously.

"The tree house. We gotta make sure the tree house is decent." He took off barreling towards it liked a kid headed for the candy shop.

She followed after him, laughing as she ran. He climbed up the ladder first and he helped pull her inside as she neared the top. They were both giggling once they were inside.

It was pretty neat tree house. There were several windows, some cabinets, a desk, some shelves and even a couch. It would make a pretty cool place for a kid to hang out at.

Daryl moved to sit down on the couch. He motioned for her to join him. "Yeah, I think this is perfect. Sophia's gonna love it." He grinned at her as she sat down beside him.

"Thanks, I think so too," She replied, moving one hand up to rub her aching shoulder.

"What's wrong?" He asked

"Nothing. It's just the shoulder that I hurt back when Ed…" She started to say something, but stopped.

They were both quiet for a moment, a heavy silence settling in.

"Anyway," she continued, "I think I irritated it lifting a patient at work the other day. It's been pretty sore. Climbing that ladder sure didn't help matters."

"Here," he said as he motioned for her to turn her back towards him. He began gently rubbing her shoulder to relieve some of the tension. She smiled warmly back at him as his rough hands worked hard to smooth out her tense muscles. Suddenly, the realization of what he was doing hit him. He was touching her, rubbing her. Even though he had become a lot more comfortable with her touching him, not flinching anymore if she touched his arm or gave him a side hug or even when she would hold onto him when they were both on his bike, this was different. It was him touching her, voluntarily.

His throat was growing thick and sticky. He swallowed hard when she let out an almost pleasurable sound as his hands worked her shoulder and he shots his hands back to his sides in a haste, panicking. "We, uh, we better get back and let her know something."

"Kinda romantic up here," She teased. "Screw around?"

His jaw almost dropped. He couldn't believe what she had just said. He was sure she was joking, but what if she wasn't? He didn't know what to do or say, so he just said, "Pfft," and shrugged her suggestion. off. He stood up. "Come on, I'll go down first." He started making his way towards the ladder.

"Even better," she said with an evil grin.

"Stop," He muttered, as his face flushed completely red.

()()()

They went back to the front yard and made an offer to the real estate agent. She told that she would know by Friday if the offer was accepted or not.

They pulled back into Rick's driveway and both hopped off of the bike.

"Thank you for going with me today, Daryl," she said as she pulled him into a tight hug. She wrapped her arms around him and instead of pulling away he held her close for a brief second.

"You're welcome,." He replied as he broke the embrace. "Let me know as soon as you know something, okay?"

"You'll be the first to know," she assured him

"Alright, well, I'm gonna go find Rick. I'm supposed to go with him and Shane to the shooting range today. They are supposed to be teaching Carl how to shoot. "

"Have fun and try not to shoot Shane," she joked.


	10. Chapter 10

**(Thanks for the reviews and for reading. I'm sure where I want the story to end up, I just haven't exactly mapped out how to get there. I have some future chapters planned out in my head, but I need some more before I get there. So this may seem like it's going a little slow for a minute, but I promise that I do have a purpose for that.)**

Daryl thought it was just going to be him, Shane, Rick and Carl headed out to the shooting range today. Glenn and Maggie ended up stopping by and Lori invited Maggie to a girl's day with her, Carol Andrea and Sophia. So the guys invited Glenn along shooting. Somehow Sophia ended up begging to go to the shooting range with the guys.

"Can, I come too! Please?" She looked to Daryl, her eyes silently pleading for him to agree.

"Ain't you supposed to be going with your mom and them to get your nails done and stuff?" Daryl asked the young girl who hadn't taken her eyes off him since asking.

"That's where _they're_ going, but I wanna know how to shoot a gun too! Carl's going." She pointed out.

Daryl looked at Rick. He didn't know what to say. She wasn't his daughter and it wasn't his call whether or not she was allowed to handle firearms. Besides, he assumed that her mom wanted to spend some time with her doing something special today.

Rick looked back at Daryl and shrugged. It wasn't his call either.

Carol, Lori, Andrea and Maggie entered the room.

"There you are Sophia. Are you ready to go?" Carol asked her daughter

"I don't wanna go. I wanna go with Rick, Shane, Glenn, Carl and Mr. Dixon."

"They're going to shoot guns, you don't really wanna do that, do you?" Lori questioned her.

"I do," she said, nodding her head resolutely.

Carol looked at Daryl and then to Rick. "If she wants to go and you don't mind, I'm fine with it."

"Yes!" Carl and Sophia shouted in unison.

"You sure about that?" Lori asked her friend

"I'm sure. She's with Daryl and Rick. I know she's in good hands. Besides, Shane is a certified trainer. I think it would be good for her to learn how to handle a gun the proper way."

"Guess it's settled then. You're coming with us kid," Daryl said as he ruffed up her hair.

()()()

Shane, Rick, Carl, Sophia, and Glenn rode together in Shane's SUV down to the shooting range. Daryl followed behind them on his bike. Once they arrived at the shooting range Shane had automatically started talking smack about being the best shot there. He was making bets with Rick on which of them could hit the most targets.

"So, Daryl?" Shane asked. "Are you any good with guns?"

"I know a little," Daryl muttered quietly.

"Give it your best shot, then," Shane said as he handed Daryl the gun.

"You first, sunshine," Daryl remarked.

"Same time, then?" Shane proposed.

"Alright," Daryl nodded.

The two walked up and began firing at the targets as the others, including Carl and Sophia, stood back and watched.

"Wow!" Carl exclaimed once they were done firing. "You're a better shot than Shane."

Daryl had hit the target in every spot Shane had, and possibly even come a little closer to one of the dots.

"Nice job," Rick said. "Where'd you learn to shoot like that?"

"Been shooting since I was younger than Carl. Taught myself, really. My brother taught me how to fire and all. Just learned to hit stuff by shooting at it." Daryl shrugged a shoulder. "Had to eat."

"You're a damn good shot," Shane admitted as he shook his head.

()()()

Meanwhile; Carol, Lori, Andrea and Maggie were at the mall. They ended up at the salon getting their nails and eyebrows done.

"I can't believe that Sophia wanted to go shoot guns rather than come with us," Lori pouted. "She usually loves getting her nails done."

"I don't know," Andrea commented. "I've always liked guns. I probably would have done the same thing. Hell, if I didn't need to get away from Shane, I probably would have went with them too." She joked.

The girls all laughed.

"I've always kind of like shooting too," Maggie agreed. "I just didn't know it was Sophia's thing."

"I don't think that was necessarily it." Carol mused.

"What is it then? Oh, do you think she is starting to like Carl?" Maggie smirked.

"Don't even!" Lori warned. "They are only 12. My baby boy is too young for a girlfriend. Plus, they are as close as brother and sister."

"Keep telling yourself that," Andrea snorted.

"I don't think its Carl either. Although, I don't doubt we're in for trouble when they're a bit older," Carol added.

"Then, what?" Andrea asked curiously.

"She's gotten pretty attached to Daryl. She always wants him to come to her soccer games. She asks every night if he is coming to eat with us. She even asked me to get her a dirt bike for her birthday because she likes his motorcycle so much."

"So, she has a crush on Daryl?" Maggie seemed perplexed.

"She's 12, Maggie. He's 35. No I don't think she has crush on Daryl," Carol chuckled.

"I wouldn't blame her if she did." Andrea grinned mischievously.

"Andrea!" Lori barked as she playfully tapped her friends shoulder.

"What? He's hot. He has that ruggedly handsome thing going on. And that voice.."

"What about Shane?" Maggie reminded her.

"Hey, I'm just admiring him. I wouldn't go after it. He's _clearly_ been marked anyway."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Lori asked.

"I'm not the one who he has dinner with all the time, or the one whose daughter's soccer games he goes to, or the one who he helps shop for houses with." Andrea stated bluntly.

Carol blushed and immediately flicked her eyes away from the others and to the floor. "It's not like that," she said. "We're just friends."

"Keep telling yourself that, sweetheart," Andrea replied.

"I'm serious. He doesn't see me like that, I'm older than him for goodness sakes!"

" _Only_ by four years." Maggie pointed out.

"Really...it's just not like that. I mean, he's gorgeous and I would totally…"

"Carol!" Lori chided.

"What? I'm just _saying_...It's not like it's actually gonna happen."

"We still don't know him that well. Just keep that in mind. That's all I'm saying. You've got to keep your guard up for you and Sophia."

"Yes, mother." Carol replied rolling her eyes at Lori.

"Anyway," Maggie said, changing the subject. "How did it go when you looked at the house today?"

"It went great," she beamed. Daryl said I should get it. He thinks it's worth it. I put in an offer and I should know in a few days."

()()()

Back at the shooting range the adults were finally letting the kids have a turn with the guns. Rick had shown Carl the proper way to stand and hold a gun and Daryl had done the same for Sophia. They let Shane take over the instruction part of things, since he was used to doing it. They stood and watched Carl and Sophia fire off a few rounds before Daryl stepped away to get a cigarette.

"Haven't I told you those things are bad for ya?" Rick teased as he walked over to his friend.

"Something's gonna kill me one day, might as well be something I like," Daryl joked back.

"How'd things go with the house today?" Rick asked as he looked over his shoulder to make sure that Carl and Sophia were out of ear shot. They were. Shane was talking to them and giving them more gun safety tips at the moment.

"Went good," Daryl said as he took a long drag. "I told her she should get it. She made an offer. She's supposed to hear something back in a few days or so."

"That's good. I'm happy for her. I know it'll be good for her to be out on her own. I just worry about her Ya know? I've been able to keep my eye on them the last seven months. I know Ed wouldn't come near my house looking for them. I just don't want him to start trouble once she's out on her own."

Daryl threw the cigarette on the ground and stomped it out. His tone was gravely as he looked to Rick and spoke ominously. "If he knows what's good for him, he won't."

()()()

Rick insisted on stopping and grabbing several pizzas and sodas on the way home. He wanted everyone to stay for dinner. When they got back to the house the girls were already there waiting on them

"Did you have fun?" Carol asked Sophia as she walked in the door.

"Yeah, it was really cool. Oh, and Daryl can shoot better than Shane!"

Everyone but Shane laughed. "Hey, we hit the same amount. Okay!" He said defensively.

They were all sitting around in the living room and had just finished their pizza. Rick stood up and asked Lori to come stand next to him. He glanced around to all his friends and bit back the smile threatening to line his lips. "Since we're all together," Rick began, "we have an announcement that we wanna make." He put his arms around Lori and both of them were smiling ear to ear now.

"We're having another baby." Lori squealed in delight.

"I'm gonna be a big brother?" Carl asked, his eyes and voice equally full of excitement.

"Yeah, you are!" His parents replied.

His blue eyes sparkled. "That's so cool. Big brother Carl. It has a ring to it. Don't ya think?"

Rick and Lori nodded their heads at their son and smiled.

Everyone offered their congratulations. Andrea and Maggie couldn't believe that Lori hadn't told them earlier. No one would have guessed that Rick and Lori were having another baby. After all, they tried for years before she got pregnant with Carl. It had been a difficult pregnancy and he had been born via C-section. They always said that it made them not want to try again.

It turns out that this pregnancy had been a surprise. In fact, she was actually three months along now and they had just found out when she had routine check-up with her gynecologist. They were surprised, but excited. They felt like it was meant to be.

Everyone stayed a while longer and congratulated the happy family. It was getting late and Daryl wanted to go visit his brother at the jail in the morning, so he decided to head out. Carol walked with him outside.

"How'd things go at the shooting range? Sophia wasn't any trouble was she?"

"Nah," He said. "She listened real good. Hit a few targets. I think with more practice she could be a pretty good shot."

"She adores you. You know that, right?"

Daryl arched a brow and couldn't hide the surprise in his voice. "What?"

"She likes being around you. Looks up to you. I'm thankful for that."

"Don't know why. I ain't nothing to look up to," he said in a low voice.

"You are. You just don't know it," she stated matter of factly.

He bit his lower lip and looked down, feeling overwhelemed by her high and Sophia's high opinion of him.

"Just remember, I liked you first, Pookie," she teased him to try and lighten the mood. She knew it worked when his eyes flitted back up to hers and he gave her a shy grin.

"Stop," he muttered as he playfully nudged her shoulder with his.


	11. Chapter 11

**(Wow, I'm happy for all of my positive reviews. I am glad that people are really enjoying this. SN: I'm not sure how I feel about this chapter. I had one thing planned, but ended up with this. I am trying to get things set up for a chapter I have been planning since the beginning, but I am having some issues with the chapters before. I am hoping there will be one more after this one and then I can get to a chapter I really want worked in.)** The last few weeks had flown by pretty fast. Carol received news that they accepted the offer that she had on the house. She had immediately called Daryl to let him know. She could have sworn that he seemed almost as excited about it as she was. He came by during the evenings just like he had promised her he would to help do the minor repairs to the house. She had insisted on helping him do any repairs. She said it was her house and her problem, not his. So, they had been spending even more time together lately. She wasn't complaining though, she enjoyed his company. She still hadn't told Sophia about the house yet. She wanted to have everything ready before she told her. So lately, she had been telling her daughter she was working late while she and Daryl had really been at the house doing work while Sophia stayed with Rick and Lori. Everything was almost ready for them to move in, they just had to finish painting the bedrooms. Daryl planned to come Thursday evening and help her finish up and she was going to bring Sophia to see the house this weekend. Thursday evening rolled around and Daryl met up with her at her new house to paint the bedrooms. He had ridden his bike to her place straight from work, but hadn't been counting on the fact that it would be pouring down rain. He hopped off his bike and bolted straight for the door. "Oh my gosh! Get in here, you're soaked." She said as she pulled him inside. "Yeah, damn weather forecast didn't mention nothing about rain tonight." He grumbled as he stepped inside. "I woulda just drove the truck today if I woulda know." "I'd offer you a towel, but you know, I haven't exactly brought those here yet." She said with a small smile. "I'll be fine." He said. He looked down at his boots and immediately noticed all the mud he had tracked in. "I guess it's a good thing we already replaced all that beige carpet in here with wood floor." He chuckled. She smiled at him. "Here" she said as she reached into a bag on the kitchen table. "I brought these so you could paint in them. You can go get out of your wet clothes and just put these on. Then we can eat before we get started." She tossed him an old black t-shirt with King County Police Department written on it in white and a pair of black sweat pants to go with it. "Did you steal Rick's clothes?" He chuckled "The correct term is borrowed. Now go change. Food's getting cold." "Yes ma'am." He said as he headed towards the bathroom. ()()() He returned moments later wearing Rick's clothes. The t-shirt was a little snug because his shoulders were broader than Rick's and his arms larger and more muscular. The pants were a little tight too, but he figured that it would do to paint in. Besides, it was better than wearing his clothes that were soaked. She eyed him as he returned to the kitchen wearing Rick's clothes. She immediately noticed how tight the shirt was on him. She hadn't seen him without a shirt yet, other than when he lifted his up to reveal the scars on his back that one time, and even then she hadn't seen his chest, just his back. Now that she was able to see him in this tight fitting shirt that was clinging to all the right places, she was willing to bet that he had six pack to match his muscular arms. He noticed her staring at him after he walked back into the kitchen and he immediately felt uncomfortable. He assumed she was thinking that he looked stupid in Rick's clothes. "What are you looking at?" He questioned as he crossed his arms over his chest. "You're the one who brought me these stupid clothes." Shit. He caught her staring at him. She felt like an idiot. She was very attracted to him, she had been since the moment she met him. Although she knew she never had a chance with him. She was sure he would be mortified of the thought of anything happening between them. After all, whenever she made jokes with him suggesting anything he immediately shut it down and told her to stop. She liked making the jokes though, even if she couldn't have him, it was fun to flirt with him and interact with a man in that way. Especially one as good looking as him. "Nothing." She said. "Let's eat." ()()() They went and sat at the dining room table that she had picked out earlier in the week. Of course Daryl had gone with her to pick it out. He had even taken his dad's old truck and loaded it up and brought it here for her. She had just picked up some fast food for them on her way from work. She knew she was starving and figured he would be too. She hadn't really asked him what he wanted, but she had picked up on things he liked and didn't like over the last two months she had known him. He was usually at her house at least three nights a week, if not more. So she felt confident in her ability to pick out something that he would eat tonight. She wondered if she had been wrong when she noticed the way he picked around his food. He usually inhaled his meals, but tonight he had barely eaten half of the burger she bought him and he still had a little over a fourth of his fries left as he got up to throw his trash away. "You didn't like what I got for you?" She asked him "Nah, it was fine." He said. "You barely touched your food, Daryl." She said. "It's okay. I just thought you liked burgers. You practically inhaled them last time I cooked them." "I do." He said. "And the ones you made were damn good. That's why I ate like 5 of em when you cooked em." "Then what was wrong with the one from tonight?" "Merle and I used to live off fast food." He shrugged. "Back when we lived out of hotels, moving from place to place. Most of the time we didn't really have a kitchen to cook in. I guess you just spoiled me with your cooking lately." She blushed. Ed always bitched about her cooking and sometimes he would even get mad and throw the food across the room. "You know? Ed never had anything good to say about anything that I made. I used to love to cook chicken alfredo. He hated it so much. Once he even threw his bowl of food at me." Daryl gritted his teeth. He really wanted to run into this son of a bitch one day. He was going to teach him a lesson. He just had to figure out what he looked like first. "Ed was a dumbass prick." Daryl stated matter of factly. "And your chicken alfredo is one of my favorites." He saw the way her eyes lit up when he said that. It made him feel good that he had the ability to do that. To make her feel good about herself, despite years of that asshole making her feel horrible. He had realized that he would do pretty much anything to see her eyes light up or see her smile. And it terrified the fuck out of him. ()()() They painted her room a baby blue color and added some light gray trim work to it. Then they moved to the guest room and painted it a dark gray. For Sophia's room they decided to do a lime green color and add pink and brown polka dots on the wall. Lime green and pink were her favorite colors. Daryl was adding the last polka dot and then he turned around to look at Carol and busted out laughing. "What's so funny?" She said, her lip turned down as she watched him laugh at her. "You're covered in paint. How the hell did you manage to do that?" She had even somehow managed to get pink and green in her hair. He pulled out his phone that he bought a few weeks ago and went to take a picture. "Daryl Dixon!" She screamed. "Don't you even dare!" She reached to grab the phone from him, but he just moved back and held it above his head." He angled it above both of them and somehow managed to snap a picture of her looking up at him reaching up for the phone and him eyeing down at her with a smile. "Too late. I already got it." He smirked. When he exited out of his photos he noticed that it was already one in the morning. "Shit, it's late." She looked at his phone and saw what time it was. She realized how glad she was that she didn't have to work tomorrow, although she wanted to get home soon and get to bed. She hadn't gotten to see Sophia this evening because she came straight here from work and she wanted to see her off before school tomorrow. "Yeah, we better get going." She said. "Do you have to work tomorrow? " He could still hear rain coming down hard on the metal roof. "Not if it's still doing this in a few hours. No way we can get up on top of a roof in all this rain." It was pouring down hard now, even worse than it had been when he pulled up on his bike earlier. He dreaded making the ride home in all of this. "Come on, I'll take you home." She said. "You can leave your bike here for the night and bring your truck to get it tomorrow." Daryl grimaced. He still hadn't let any of his knew friends see his house, well shack, really. He was embarrassed by it. They all had such nice homes and he lived in what could easily pass as a meth lab. He knew she wouldn't judge him, but he really didn't want her to see it. Besides, it was pouring down rain and he lived almost thirty minutes away. That meant she'd have to drop him off and then the drive back to Rick's, in total, that would take almost an hour and it was already late. Plus he lived in the middle of nowhere. There was barely any cell service. He would worry too much about her driving all that way. "I'm good. I'll take my bike." "I am not letting you drive home in this." She protested. " You won't even be able to see. Besides, it will feel like little bullets hitting you with how hard this rain is." "I'm not letting you drive me home in this out in the middle of nowhere in this." He countered back. She sighed. "I'd tell you that you could just wait it out here, but I don't have bed or a couch for you to sleep on yet." She contemplated things for a minute. "You could just stay at my place." She finally suggested. "Uh uh. No way." He said little too fast. She looked hurt and he immediately realized how bad that sounded. "Rick and Lori would have a fit." He added. She nodded. She knew Lori would. She did everything in her power daily to remind her how much she really didn't know Daryl and she knew Lori knew that she found him attractive. She wasn't sure what Rick's feelings would be on the matter. She knew he was protective of her, but he really liked Daryl and thought a lot of him. Although, he must have mentioned something to Daryl about her for him to know Rick wouldn't approve. Sure, she was technically living in their house, but it was late and she couldn't send him driving home in this. So she decided that they would have to get over it. "You'd be leaving your bike here." She said. "They wouldn't see it or you. I can bring you back here to get the bike after they leave for work." "I don't know." He said. "Where would I sleep?" 'I'll take Sophia's room. She's staying with Rick and Lori tonight anyway. You can sleep in my room." "Are you sure?" He said, uncertainty written in his voice. "Positive. Now get your clothes from earlier and lets go." 


	12. Chapter 12

**(Here's the next chapter. Thanks for reading.)**

Daryl had been quiet the entire ride back to the basement apartment of Rick's that Carol and Sophia had been living in for almost 8 months now. He didn't think that staying the night there was a good idea at all. If Rick or Lori saw him, he knew that they wouldn't be convinced that his staying there tonight was simply due to the fact that it was pouring down rain and it wasn't a good idea for him to drive in that on his bike home after one in the morning.

From the minute he had started spending more time with Carol, Rick and Lori had seemed to pick up on the fact there was some sort of feelings for her there on his part. There pretty much had been since he had seen her for the first time. She was pretty, she was kind, she was easy to talk to, and he enjoyed being around her. He never planned on acting on it though, he knew he couldn't. She wouldn't go for someone like him, and even if she did ever want him he knew that she deserved better. So, he resigned himself to being her friend, and it was working out well. They spent a lot of time together, pretty much every chance he could get to have dinner there or come to something Sophia or Carl had going on that he knew she would be at.

Sophia, she was another issue. He had really bonded with her little girl. He thought it would be weird at first, having friends that had kids. He hadn't ever really been around them before, but he liked Sophia and Carl. They were both good kids and he found that he kind of enjoyed going off and doing little family things with them. Hell, he never got to do anything like that growing up, so it was kind of fulfilling to get to do some of those things now. It felt normal.

And as much as Rick had tried to step in and be a father figure to Sophia since her mom had left her abusive prick of a dad, Daryl could tell it was sometimes hard on him to balance attention between she and Carl. So, whenever he was around and saw an opportunity to step in and help with anything Rick was trying to do for the both of them, he would jump in and help him out. She had gotten attached to him, he knew it. She always asked him to do things for her or go places with them. She had even been begging for a crossbow ever since she saw his.

He had two people to think about other than himself if he went after something with her, and he just didn't think he was what was best for either of them. Despite the fact that he cared for them both. He wouldn't ever risk doing anything to hurt them. And he was sure he would eventually do that if he ever went after anything more.

But now he was riding home with her to spend the night at her house, and it was like a form of torture. He thought about how different this night might end if he had a different life up until this point, if he knew how to have a real relationship with another person, or if Carol hadn't been married to a man like Ed, if Sophia's dad hadn't beat her. All the what if's could drive you crazy, so he forced himself to push them from his mind. Maybe in another world, he thought to himself.

"Daryl? Daryl?" She called out to him

"Huh?" He said, as he broke himself out of his thoughts.

"We're here." She said

He looked up and noticed Rick's house. All the lights were out, but the streetlights still illuminated all the houses and the sidewalks pretty well.

"Are you okay?" She asked him.

"Mhm." He replied. "I'm fine."

"You haven't said a word the entire ride home." She pointed out.

"Just tired." He shrugged. "Long day at work, then this lady made me come and paint her new house." He gave her a smirk.

"Is she at least paying you good?" She spat back, playing along.

"Nah, she ain't paying me nothing, but she feeds me pretty food most the time."

()()()

Once they entered the apartment Carol showed him to her room. "It's all yours tonight. Enjoy. I'm gonna go wash some of this paint off. Unless you wanna get a shower first?"

"Nah, you go ahead. You need it more than I do." He said with a laugh as he looked her up and down. She was still covered in green and pink paint.

"Shut up." She said, as she playfully pushed his shoulder.

"You mind if I wash these?" He asked, holding up the wet clothes from earlier.

"Go ahead. The washer and dryer are behind the double doors on the other end of the kitchen."

He nodded and headed off that way.

()()()

After about 10 minutes she came out of the shower. She was wearing fuzzy UGA pajama bottoms and a red tank top. All the pink and green had been washed off. He was stretched out on the couch watching tv. She smile a little to herself, he had certainly made himself at home the last ten minutes. Although, it wasn't really a surprise. He had been here at least three nights a week for almost two months now. "Whatcha watching?" She asked as she came and took a seat at the other end of the sectional.

"Breaking Bad. My brother loves this show." Daryl said.

"It's a pretty good show." She agreed. She sat and finished the episode with him, but her eyelids were getting heavy and she was about to fall asleep right there on the couch. Suddenly the washing machine buzzed and she sat up straight.

"Sleepy?" Daryl asked.

"Exhausted." She said. "I think I'm gonna head to Sophia's room and get some sleep. It's almost three now and I wanna get up and see her before she goes to school."

"You can have your room." He said. "I don't mind sleeping here on the couch. It's pretty comfortable."

"It's fine. I don't mind. I'll see you in the morning. Thank you for everything." She stood up and took his hand in hers and gave it a squeeze. "I'll see you in the morning Daryl. If you want a shower, there should still be some hot water left. Help yourself to anything in the house."

"Thanks. Goodnight." He said as he watched her walk to Sophia's room.

After she went to bed, he got up off the couch and went to move his clothes from the washer to the dryer. He was tired too, so instead of watching another episode, he decided to hop in the shower and then head to bed.

All of the soap she had was girly and scented, even the shampoo was cucumber melon. He was really glad that it was still raining and he probably wouldn't have to go to work smelling like that tomorrow. He grabbed a towel as he stepped out of the shower. He didn't think his clothes were done drying yet, and he had gotten sweaty painting earlier, plus he didn't want to take a chance of any paint getting on her bed if he put the clothes she had borrowed from Rick back on. He quickly slid his boxers on and then wrapped the towel back around himself and bolted into Carol's room. He knew he had shown her his scars before, but he felt like he had to that night. He wanted her to know he understood her and she could talk to him. He wasn't ever comfortable with someone seeing him naked, and he didn't want tonight to get any weirder than it was.

Once he was in her room, he removed the towel and crawled into bed. It hit him immediately how tired he was. Her bed was comfortable, much more so than the one he had at back at his dads shack. It was also a lot bigger. Probably a queen sized mattress, he guessed. He thought that staying here would have been weird, but it hadn't been so far. He enjoyed sitting in the living room with her and watching Breaking Bad, he liked someone telling him goodnight, and he liked having a comfortable bed to crawl into. These are things he never thought that he wanted before or needed. He was fine living on the road and staying in different motels. Now, he wasn't sure he ever wanted to go back to that life. He briefly wondered what was going to happen when Merle got out of jail, but before he could finish the thought he had drifted off to sleep and he was out like a light.

()()()

Daryl rolled around in bed a few times, before forcing himself to wake up. He was comfortable and he really didn't want to get up. He suddenly remembered that he wasn't in his own house and wondered if it had ever stopped raining. He pushed himself up on his belly and looked out of the window above the bed. He could see rain falling down the window pane. That's good, he thought. He didn't oversleep and accidently miss work, because he couldn't work in the rain anyway.

He wondered what time it was and looked at the clock on the night stand next to him. It was a little after ten. He couldn't remember the last time he had slept in that late. He was usually up at the crack of dawn, even if he didn't have to work. He usually liked to take the mornings to go out on a hunt or even sometimes hit up the pond that was in the woods near the house.

He rubbed his eyes and picked up his phone. He had two new messages. Both of them from T-dog.

" _No work today, looks like we are rained out."_

The second one read, " _No work tomorrow either. My cousin is coming into town. We will start the job on Monday. See you guys then. By the way, everyone is expected to meet up at the bar tonight for beers. I'm showing my cousin around town and I want him to meet everyone."_

Daryl groaned. He didn't really feel like going to the bar tonight. He felt like he owed it to T-dog, though. He stepped up and gave him a job when he didn't know him and he was a good boss. He paid well and he was fair. He figured spending a few hours downtown wouldn't kill him.

He was getting ready to get out of bed when he heard the door open. He remembered he was only wearing his boxers and instinctively pulled the sheets up to cover his chest.

"I didn't know you were up." Carol said. "I was just bringing these in here so you would have clean clothes to put on." She sat his clothes that he left in the dryer last night down the dresser.

"Thanks." He said as he bit at his lower lip.

She could tell he was clearly uncomfortable being half naked in front of her."I've got breakfast ready if you're hungry. Deer sausage, cheese grits and toast."

"Sounds good." I'll be right out. He quickly threw his jeans and shirt on and joined her in the kitchen. They sat at the bar and ate."I can't believe I slept so late." He pointed out. I never do that. "Your bed's way better than mine."

"I started to wake you after I got up and took Sophia to school. You looked so peaceful that I just decided to let you sleep. I know it had to be after three when you finally got to bed."

He blushed a little at the thought of her opening the door and seeing him asleep in her bed. "How'd ya sleep?" He asked, changing the subject.

"Pretty good. The bed in Sophia's room is pretty comfortable too. It's full sized, that way if Lori and Rick's parents ever came for the holidays at the same time there was a place for both couples to sleep."

()()()

They finished eating and Carol offered to take him to get his bike. It was still raining a little, but not as hard as it had been last night.

"What are you doing today?" He asked.

"Just going to go grab some groceries and take them to the new house. I'll probably pick up curtains and comforters for the bedrooms too. Rick is supposed to meet the furniture truck over at the house in the morning so that beds and couch will be delivered. Then everything will be set up and ready for Sophia in the afternoon."

"You want some company?" Daryl suggested

"You sure? You don't have to spend your day off shopping with me." She said.

"It's fine. Besides, my other plans fell through."


	13. Chapter 13

**(I know that the majority of these chapters are happy and sweet and a lot of people love angst, but I can't bring myself to write many chapters like that. The show keeps my emotions enough edge. This is my place to go and have happy moments for some of my favorite characters.)**

Daryl and Carol spent the rest of the morning running around grabbing the rest of the things she needed for the new house and stocking up on groceries for the place. They went back to her new place and put the groceries up and he helped her hang the up the curtains and blinds. They just left the comforters and bed sheets in the closets.

"I'm gonna head out." He said once they had everything in place. "T-dog's cousin is coming into town and he wants all of us from work to go out with them."

She looked out the window, it was still sprinkling some, but she figured he would be safe enough driving home now, so she didn't protest. "Okay. Drive safe." She said. "Oh, by the way, are you still panning to come by tomorrow and be here when we show Sophia the house?"

"Wouldn't miss it." He assured her.

()()()

Daryl went back to his house to change clothes and while he was there he took the opportunity to throw a pile of clothes in the wash. While he studied the pile of clothes that had built up, he realized how little time he actually spent here. If he wasn't at work, he was most likely at Carol's or sometimes Rick's. When he wasn't there he was out in the woods. The house was pretty much somewhere he just slept at.

While he was waiting on his clothes to dry he rummaged through the fridge. There wasn't really anything in there. Just a few slices of cheese and some sandwich meat. _Good job, dumbass._ He thought to himself _. You helped Carol get food earlier and you didn't think to get anything for yourself._ He wasn't really in the mood for a sandwich, so he just decided that he would get something at the bar later when he met up with T-Dog.

()()()

It was close to 8 when Daryl arrived at T-dogs. Abraham's truck was already there and so was Oscar's. He knocked on the door.

"Damn Dixon, bought time you got here." T-dog joked. "We didn't hear your bike."

"I drove my old man's truck. Didn't want it to start pouring down like it did last night."

"Yeah, we were a little worried about you driving home in that." Rosita said. "I see you made it okay though."

"Wasn't so bad." Daryl said. Not mentioning that he didn't go home last night and that he had stayed with Carol.

T-dog gave him a strange look, but didn't say anything.

Another man walked into the kitchen where all of them were standing.

"Oh, Daryl, this is my cousin, Bob. He just finished up a stint in the service. He was a medic for six years. Now he is thinking about moving here."

"Good to meet you." Daryl said. Nodding at him.

"Daryl's been working with me the last few months." T-dog said while looking at Bob. "He's a hard worker. My neighbor Rick introduced us."

"Are we gonna sit here and talk all night or are we gonna go get some beers?" Abraham asked.

()()()

They went to one of the bars downtown. It had several pool tables, dart boards, and it served food like nachos, hot dogs, fries, corn dogs and hamburgers. It reminded Daryl of a place that would have been right up Merle's alley if he was home. He had been to many like it over the years, but bars weren't really his thing. They were way too crowded.

Once they got in the bar, Daryl immediately went after food. He was starving and hadn't eaten since he left Carol's this morning.

He joined the rest of the group in the back of the bar with a thing of loaded nachos in hand.

"I'm guessing Carol didn't feed you before you left?" T-dog joked.

"Not since this morning." Daryl said absentmindedly

T-dog looked at him suspiciously again, but Daryl didn't notice.

"Is that your girlfriend?" Bob asked.

Daryl blushed a little and looked down. "Nah, just a friend." He said and then stuffed his face with more Nachos.

Abraham ran to the bar and brought beers back for everyone. They teamed up and played a few games of pool. Teams consisted of T-dog and his cousin Bob, Abraham and Rosita, and Daryl and Oscar.

Daryl had been relatively quiet tonight, he was around a new person and in a crowded bar, so he wasn't exactly in his comfort zone.

He was on his third game of pool by now. He and Oscar were playing against T-dog and Bob. Daryl and Oscar were winning. He downed his second beer as Oscar made sunk the eight ball for the win.

"Can we play?" He heard a female voice say.

He looked up and saw a light skinned African American woman. She was wearing jeans, a dark gray sweater and boots and had her hair pulled back into a bun. She had a dark skinned Caucasian woman with her, who had curly dark brown hair. Daryl didn't know either of them.

"Hey, Sasha. It's good to see you." T-Dog said as he pulled her in for a hug.

"You too." She replied. "This is my friend, Karen. She just joined the force and she's my new partner. I'm showing her around tonight."

 _Great. He was going to be hanging around more cops. Did they all just decide to gravitate towards him now?_

"Nice to meet you." T-dog said. He introduced Sasha to his cousin Bob and then to Daryl. Then he introduced her partner, Karen to everyone.

"So, Daryl", Sasha said. "You're Rick's friends, right?"

Daryl nodded. "Yeah, do you work for King County PD too?"

"Yeah. I've worked there for a while. I know Rick and Shane pretty well."

Everyone sat and talked a while and went and grabbed a pitcher of beer.

Daryl had poured himself a cup and casually sipped on it while everyone else was downing theirs. He noticed that Sasha and Bob seemed to be hitting it off pretty well. They were laughing together and leaning into each other. He would never understand how you could just meet someone and let them touch you or be in that close of proximity to you. Yet, they made it seem completely normal, and deep down, he knew that it was.

Sasha's friend Karen kept trying to talk to him and she even moved up and sat beside him. He was trying not to be rude, but he wasn't exactly gauging her in conversation. He would give brief one word answers and he made sure not to make eye contact with her. Instead, he pretty much stared down at his cup of beer.

Karen and Sasha excused themselves to the bathroom and when they returned, Sasha suggested that they play a round of pool. She said it should be her and Bob against Daryl and Sasha.

Daryl rolled his eyes, but before he could protest, Bob agreed that it was a great idea.

Sasha seemed to be a natural at pool and Bob was pretty good too, Karen seemed like she didn't have the slightest clue as to how to play.

"You think you could show me how to shoot?" She asked Daryl as she eyed him seductively and gave him a smile.

"You just aim at the ball. Like this." Daryl said as he leaned the table over and shot at the red number 5.

"I still don't think I get it. Why don't you come show me?" She said as she reached for his arm and tried to pull him towards her.

He flinched and pulled back immediately. In the process he knocked Bob's beer off of the pool table and spilled it all over his shirt. "Shit." He said.

"I'm so sorry." Karen said. Let me get you some towels. She was about to walk towards the bathroom but he stopped her.

"It's fine. I got it. I'll be right back."

He went in the bathroom and grabbed some paper towels and started to dry off his shirt. He was getting tired of this woman not taking the hint. He hadn't shown the slightest interest in her at all, but she just kept trying to get his attention. It's not that she was an ugly woman, he just wasn't into her. He wasn't like, Bob. He couldn't just meet some girl he barely in the bar, hit it off, and take her home. That just wasn't him. Besides, the only girl he wanted he couldn't have anyway.

Once he stepped out of the bathroom he let T-dog know he was about to head out. His shirt was still wet and he was ready to go. Besides, he was gonna meet up with Rick tomorrow at Carol's house and make sure that all the furniture got delivered.

"You sure you don't wanna stay?" T-dog asked.

"Nah, that's alright. I'll see you guys Monday. Nice to meet you all." He said to Sasha, Bob and Karen.

()()()

Once he was sure Daryl was out the door and on his way and it was just T-dog, Abraham and Rosita at the table with them, Oscar spoke up. "I'm starting to think Dixon might be gay. Karen was all about him and he didn't even bat an eye. Damn near acted scared of her the way he jumped when she touched him. I'm gonna go show her how a real man appreciates a woman, he said smugly."

After Oscar got up and headed towards where Bob, Sasha and Karen were, Abraham looked at T-dog. "Do you think he's gay?" He did act really funny around Karen.

T-dog shook his head. "No, I don't think he's gay, and I know for a fact he stayed at Carol Peltier's house last night."

"What?" Rosita asked surprised. "How do you know?"

"I let my dog out to pee last night. I was sitting on the front porch waiting to make sure she did her business and get her back inside as soon as I could since it was pouring down. I noticed Carol pull into the driveway really late. It had to be after one. There was a guy with her. I wasn't sure who it was, but I kept my eye on him. I wanted to make sure it wasn't her ex-husband, Ed. The guy was too short though, and more built."

"So, that doesn't mean it was Daryl." Abraham pointed out.

"No, it doesn't. Except when I went to get my mail this morning I saw him and her getting into her car together. And earlier when I said she must not have fed him tonight, he said, not since this morning."

"I'll be damned". Abraham said. "That makes sense. He went to a lot of her kids soccer games."

"Why don't you think he told us? He always says they are just friends."

"Come on? She lives with Rick and Lori." T-dog pointed out. "You know how Rick acted when Axel seemed interested in her that time. Don't say I told you guys anything, okay? I don't wanan get anything started and put something between Rick and Daryl. They are grown and this is their business."

"You got it." Abraham and Rosita said.

()()()

The next day, Daryl met up with Carol, just like he said he would. They told Sophia and Carl that they had a little surprise for them. Rick's family piled up in Lori's SUV and Carol, Daryl and Sophia got in her car. When they got close to the street to Carol's new house Sophia started asking a lot of questions.

"Where are we going? Is this Daryl's house?" She asked curiously as they pulled up into the driveway and parked the car.

Daryl played along and let the way into the house. He unlocked the door, but none of the adults said anything.

"Why are we here?" Carl asked

Sophia noticed some pictures hanging in the living room. Ones of her and her mother and some of just her. She saw a picture of her and her mom sitting on a lamp stand by the couch and it hit her. "Is this our house?" She squealed.

"Mhm." Carol said with a smile. She had a tear in her eye as she watched how happy Sophia was.

"It's beautiful! Where's my room?"

Carol and Daryl led her down the hallway. She opened the door and noticed the green paint with the pink and brown polka dots on the wall. There was a beautiful white sleigh bed and a nice new white dresser with a mirror on it.

"I love my room! Was it already painted like this?" She asked.

"No, Daryl helped me paint it and all the other rooms too."

Sophia smiled and ran up to hug him. "Thank you, Mr. Dixon!"

She slammed into him hard when she hugged him. It almost knocked the breath out of him. He hadn't ever been hugged by a kid before. He didn't exactly know what to do. "You're welcome." He slowly put his arm around her and returned her hug. "Hey, check out the back yard." He said. "You and Carl are gonna love it."

Both of the kids bolted for the back door. Once they saw the tree house they immediately made a bee line for it.

()()()

Rick and Lori stayed over there for a long time watching Carl and Sophia play. Carol gave them an official tour of the house and the adults sat in the living room a while and the kids stayed up in the tree house.

"I'm really happy for you." Lori said. "But I'm going to miss having you down stairs."

"I know, I'm going to miss being so close, but I will still see you all the time. Sophia will still be with you in the afternoon on the days I work and you guys are welcome here anytime. I owe you both. You've done so much for me. I'll never be able to repay you."

"You don't ever need to." Rick said. "You're family to us. There isn't anything we wouldn't do for you and Sophia."

"I know." Carol said with a smile. "The same goes for you two, Carl and little baby Grimes there." Carol said as she reached out and touched Lori's belly. She was four months now and she was starting to show. They didn't know if they were having a boy or girl yet, and had decided that they didn't want to know. They wanted it to be a surprise."

()()()

Rick and his family, as well as Daryl, stayed and had supper with Carol and Sophia at their new place. Carl put in to stay the night and Carol agreed. Daryl knew he had to leave when Rick and Lori did because his bike was still at their house and he didn't have another way to go back and get it. He contemplated asking if he could swing back by, but he figured that would seem weird.

Carol walked outside to say goodbye to everyone and asked to have a minute with Daryl before they left. Rick and Lori went ahead and got in the car and gave the two some privacy.

"Everything you did, for Sophia and for me, to get this house ready. You'll never know how much that meant to me. I know there isn't much I can offer, but if you ever need anything, I'm here for you."

He nodded.

"I know I won't be next to T-dogs anymore and it isn't exactly on your way home, but whenever you wanna stop by for supper, just know you're welcome here."

"I have a feeling I'll still be stopping by a pretty good bit." He said. "I gotta cash in on all the meals you owe me for all the work I did."

She smiled. "Goodnight, Daryl."

"Goodnight." He said.

"You know?" She added as he was turning to walk away. "If you aren't ready to go home you can come back here. Sophia and Carl are gonna watch the newest Harry Potter movie, but I think I'm gonna get some popcorn and binge watch Breaking Bad. I mean you don't have to, just if you want to…"

"I'll be back over in twenty.' He said. As he turned around to walk to Rick's car he had the biggest grin on his face.


	14. Chapter 14

**(I'm so glad that people are really enjoying this story. It was just an idea that I had one night and I decided to go with it. I'm having fun with writing it. I finally let my boyfriend read it. Sharing my writing with strangers is easier than sharing it with someone who knows you so well, but he said he liked it too. Oh, this chapter jumps ahead in time some. Now Carol has been living at her new house for two months. It's one that I have been planning since I wrote the story, so I am a little extra excited about it.)**

Carol couldn't believe how well her life had been going the past ten months since she had gotten away from Ed. If she had known that she could have left him and he wouldn't of come chasing after her, she would have done it a long time ago. Now she and Sophia were in a house of their own and it seemed like life was finally coming together. Not to mention she was very grateful for Daryl, whom Rick had brought into their lives 4 months ago. They had quickly become best friends and were almost inseparable these days.

At first she had been worried when she moved that Daryl wouldn't be around as much since she wasn't living right down the road from T-dog anymore. She just assumed he would go eat with Rick after work, head home, or grab something from a restaurant. It hadn't changed things though, not at all. He still stopped by regularly, if not more often than before.

Now, instead of just hanging around for dinner, he would stay over for movies or sometimes just to talk. If there was a weekend Sophia was off doing her own thing, he'd pick her up for bike rides. Although, now that winter was in full force that hadn't happened as often. She assumed he was around more now because the privacy of having her own place meant Rick and Lori weren't watching every move they made. Lori wasn't the biggest fan of their friendship and made it known she didn't trust Daryl's intentions. Carol didn't care though, she was an adult and she could make her own decisions.

She wasn't going to let Lori or anyone's opinions keep her away from Daryl. She liked being around him, a lot. He was sweet, smart, talented, and mighty nice to look at. She told herself if she ever actually thought she had a chance with him that she would go for it. After her divorce from Ed she didn't think she would ever fully trust another man enough to be in a relationship with him. Daryl wasn't just some other man though, he was always helping her. With the house, with the dishes after dinner, with Sophia. Hell, she was pretty sure these past four months he had spent more time with her daughter than her own father had the almost thirteen years she had been alive. He was practically the perfect man, which solidified the fact that she knew he would never romantically go for someone like her. So, she would settle for being his best friend. Besides, deep down she knew she wasn't really ready for another relationship.

Overall, she was very content with where her life was right now, though. In fact, she was extremely excited about today in particular. Sophia was turning 13 on Monday, so they were throwing her a party today to celebrate. It wasn't going to be a huge thing. It would just be Rick, Lori, Carl, Daryl, Andrea, Andrea's sister, Amy, Shane, Dale, Hershel, his youngest daughter, Beth, Maggie, Glenn, and Michonne. She had invited her friend, Tara, from work but she was picking up a Saturday shift to earn some more money.

Daryl, Rick, Lori, Carl and Shane were supposed to come by the house a few hours before the party to help her get things set up. She was in the kitchen finishing up with some cooking when she heard a car pull up. She didn't think much of it, she just figured that it was one of them. However, when someone began beating on the door she immediately knew it wasn't. Her heart sank, she had a feeling she knew who it was.

Sophia ran into the kitchen where her mother was. "Who's that, mommy?" The girl asked with fear in her eyes.

"I don't know." She lied. "Just go in your room and don't come out until I tell you too. Okay?"

Sophia nodded, still looking rather fearful.

"If I'm not back inside in five minutes, call Rick." Carol told her as she headed to the door. She could hear him yelling as she got closer to the door.

"Open the door, you stupid bitch!" The man screamed.

The sound of his voice sent chills down her spine She hadn't had to hear his voice in ten months now. She was hoping she would never have to hear it again. "Go home, Ed." She said through the door. "You know you've got a restraining order against you and that you aren't allowed to be within 250 feet of me and Sophia."

"I don't give a damn about that piece of paper. It's my daughter's birthday and I'm not leaving until I see her. Now open the fucking door!" He said as he slammed his fist against it.

She didn't want the neighbors to hear the fussing and figured if she went outside and talked to him maybe she could diffuse the situation some and he would leave. She squeezed through the door and quickly locked it behind her so he couldn't get in.

"Go home!" She told him firmly as she walked outside. She walked off the porch and stood in the front yard pointing towards his car.

"No!" He said resolutely. "You're my wife and that's my kid and I'm not leaving until I see her."

"What's this really about, Ed? You haven't come around in 10 months asking to see her once. You never went to counseling like the judge ordered you to so you could even attempt to be allowed around her again. Why now?"

"It's my damn daughter and it's her birthday. That's why. Besides, word on the town is that you done got yourself a new man. Playing house with him. Said he's always with you and Sophia. That he drives a motorcycle and it's always over here. I'm not having that shit. You're my wife and that's my kid. Not whoever the fuck this biker prick is."

"Ex-wife!" She said boldly as she held her ring-less finger up in front of his face. "And by the way, that biker prick has done more for your daughter the past four months that I've known him than you ever did. He's a real man, not some low down wife beater and child abuser like you."

She intentionally left out the fact that she wasn't with Daryl. She didn't have to explain her life to Ed and who she was around or why she was with him. To be honest, she wanted him to think she was with him. She hoped that it hurt him. She didn't know where this boldness of hers had come from. She just knew she wasn't afraid of him anymore. She hadn't been since the night she had to shoot him in the leg. Something about seeing Ed writhing and crying in pain had made her realize he was vulnerable too and that she was capable of finding the power to protect herself and her child. Sometimes she felt like a monster some days, because she had no guilt for shooting him in the leg. She would do it again to protect herself oR Sophia. She wouldn't ever let him her child again.

Suddenly, she noticed anger and rage in his eyes. The same anger and rage he used to be overcome with back when he would hit her or the night he hit Sophia after beating the hell out of her. She knew what was coming before it even did. She went to brace herself for it. She wished then that she had been smart enough to grab some type of weapon before she came out the door.

"Fucking whore!" Ed screamed as swung.

His hand connected hard with her face. It hurt. It hurt like hell. Suddenly she was flooded with memories of all the abuse she had suffered over the years. She remembered when we had broken her rotator cuff, the countless black eyes, bruised ribs, broken ribs, busted lips, and broken arms. It was all burned into her memory once again. She was expecting him to deliver the worst beating of her life in the next few seconds. She balled herself up and covered her face as she cried. Silently praying in her head that Sophia was listening and staying inside.

()()()

Daryl was headed around the curve in his dad's old blue truck. It was cold today and he didn't feel like making the thirty minute ride to Carol's on his bike. Even if he had his leather jacket, it didn't do much for the chill on his face in this 30 degree weather. Besides, he figured they could use the truck to haul off any trash left over from Sophia's party later on this afternoon.

As he got around the corner and Carol's house came into view he noticed her outside with a man he didn't recognize. Things seemed tense between them the way she was standing with her arms crossed. Then he saw her throw her hand up in his face. It didn't take him long to figure out that the man was more than likely her ex-husband, Ed Peltier. He saw Ed raise his hand out towards her and he slammed the truck in park. He practically flew out of the truck in an effort to get to Carol. He couldn't reach her before Ed's hand connected with her face.

()()()

Rick, Lori, Carl, and Shane were pulling in from the other end of the street. They noticed Daryl's truck approaching towards the house. Lori was driving and all of a sudden Rick heard her scream.

"Oh, my God! Is that Ed?" Lori squealed

Rick looked over and saw Carol on the ground and Ed going for. They hadn't seen him lay her out. They also noticed Daryl fly out of his truck and head towards them. "Oh, shit! Rick said as his mouth dropped open. "Lori, you and Carl stay here and call the station. Sasha is on duty. Have them send her out. Shane, come on!" Rick demanded

Shane and Rick bolted out of the car and towards all the drama unfolding in Carol's front yard.

()()()

Daryl didn't think. He just reacted. He grabbed Ed by the back of the shirt and threw him to the ground. Soon his fists were connecting with his face, repeatedly. He wasn't sure how many times he had hit him when he felt someone pulling him off of Ed, but he knew it wasn't enough.

He had no idea who was pulling him off and in the heat of the moment he didn't care. He fought back against them. "Let me go! Let me go! I said you best let me go!" He was sure someone was talking to him, maybe saying his name, but he was too enraged to hear what they were really saying or make out whose voice it. Whoever was holding him finally released him. Daryl turned around and pushed the person hard. It turns out it was Rick.

Instinctively, Rick went to buck back up at him, but he quickly regained his composer and realized it would only make things work. "Daryl stop!" Rick said forcefully. "Just stop."

Daryl was breathing heavy. His chest heaving in and out. He looked at Rick. He was mad. He wasn't done with Ed. He didn't want to be. He looked over to where Ed was laying on the ground. His face was covered in blood and he was groaning. Daryl turned around and kicked him hard in the stomach.

"Enough!" Rick shouted.

Daryl looked down and now Ed was holding his stomach and throwing up. His senses were starting to calm down some and he immediately looked for Carol. She was still on the ground. Shane was over there with her. Holding her hand and talking to her as she was crying. Daryl's eyes connected with hers for a moment. He bit his lower lip hard. Her face had already started bruising from where the bastard hit her. Seeing her cry and in pain was too much for him. Tears filled his eyes. Suddenly he remembered Sophia. He hadn't seen her this whole time. He wondered if she was safe. "Where's Sophia." He said as his voice was cracking.

She's inside." Shane said. "Lori and Carl just went in after her."

"She was inside the whole time." Carol said. Her voice barely above a whisper. "I told her to go in her room and not come out as soon as I realized it was Ed beating on the door."

Daryl wanted to run to her. To grab her. To hold her. He was about to. Until he heard sirens and saw the police car coming around the corner. "What the hell is this?" He said looking to Rick

"You're going to have to trust me on this." Rick said carefully….


	15. Chapter 15

If looks could kill, the one Daryl was giving Rick Grimes right now would do just that. He didn't understand what was going on at all. He jumped on Ed because he hit Carol, and he'd do it again in a heartbeat. There was no question about it. Now the cops were showing up and Daryl knew he was screwed. His shirt was covered in blood. Ed's blood to be exact. He looked down at his right hand. It was also covered in blood, but he wasn't sure if all of it was Ed's or some or if it was a mixture of Ed's and his own.

He wasn't an idiot, even if he was protecting Carol, he had beaten the shit out of Ed. He knew they were probably about to take him in for assault. And he was pretty sure that Rick had been the one to call the cops. He was still too mad to think clearly and he was pretty pissed at the fact that he was about to be arrested for something that he felt justified in doing.

Once the officers arrived on scene, Daryl noticed it was Sasha and Karen who were on duty. He had met them a few months ago at the bar with T-dog and his cousin, Bob. He had heard T-dog say that Sasha and Bob were a thing now and he knew that Bob had recently re-located here for good.

Karen headed over towards Ed and Sasha came his way. "What happened here?" She asked Daryl.

Rick was still standing beside him.

"I was on my way over to help set up for Sophia's birthday party. I came around the corner and saw that piece of shit arguing with Carol. He decked her and I jumped out the truck and went and gave the son bitch what he deserved."

Sasha could tell Daryl's emotions were still running on high. His voice was raised and he was swinging his arms around as he talked. "What'd you see, Rick?" She asked

"We were pulling up from the other side of the street. I saw Carol on the ground and Ed going for her. Then I saw Daryl take off after Ed. I ran up there to pull him off as soon as I could."

Sasha was writing notes down on her pad. "I'm gonna go ask a few more people some questions. Hang tight, Dixon."

"Why?" He spat. "What the fuck's it matter? You're just gonna arrest me anyway. Man beats up on his wife and kid and gets away with everything. Just comes back when he wants to do the same thing, no one bats a fucking eye. I defend her and give him a taste of his own medicine and I'm over here getting treated like a criminal. Shit ain't right."

Sasha narrowed her eyes at him. She knew he was upset, but she wasn't liking his attitude. She leaned in close to him and whispered something even Rick couldn't hear. "You listen to me, and you listen to me good, Daryl Dixon. You can sit here and be pissed off and run your mouth all you want to. But that's not doing you or Carol or Sophia or anyone any good. The best thing for you to do is to calm down, cooperate with me, and follow my lead. If you can do that, I can assure you that later this evening you'll be back with Carol and her little girl. No one is here to hurt you and no one is against you. There are certain rules that have to be followed, certain procedures that have to be done. So, are you gonna shut up and trust me, or are you gonna keep on running your mouth until you end up in some shit even Rick won't be able to get you out of?"

Daryl narrowed his eyes back at her. He hadn't ever been one to trust cops, or trust anyone he didn't know for that matter. She was both of those things. However, she was a cop Rick seemed to know well, and under any other circumstance, he trusted Rick. He also knew she had a connection to T-dog and figured that it was in his best interest to do as she said. So he decided to shut up for now. He nodded his head to let her know he understood and that he was going to do as she said.

()()()

She ended up cuffing him and taking him to the station. Her partner Karen stayed with Ed and they sent an ambulance to get him and take him to the hospital to be checked out. Daryl was positive that he had broken his nose and he was sure the man was going to need some stiches. Daryl's hand was a little busted up too and some of the blood was coming from him. They cleaned him up at the station and they handed him a paper towel to keep over it as he sat in his holding cell.

He had gone 35 years without ever being arrested. He was pretty sure that was some kind of record for a Dixon. Merle had been in and out of juvie ever since he could remember and had done a few stints for drugs, drinking, or fighting since he had been an adult. Their old man was frequently locked up. For drinking or domestic issues mostly. He had been proud that he was able to evade being locked up. Merle was proud of him for it too. Though Merle himself never seemed to mind being locked up, he always seemed to want better for his baby brother.

Oh, well. He thought to himself. He didn't regret what he did. He would do it again if he had to. He had wanted to ever since he found out that the jackass had hurt Carol and Sophia in the first place. The guy was just lucky that Rick came along and pulled him off. He wondered about Carol and Sophia. How they were doing. He hadn't gotten to talk to them yet. They kept everyone pretty much separate for statements on the scene and he was sure that they brought everyone in for questioning too. He had seen Sophia come out of the house and run to her mother crying. Poor kid, this was probably going to be the worst birthday party ever.

It hadn't been an hour yet when Sasha came walking up to his holding cell. "You're sprung, Dixon."

"Huh?" He said.

"Someone is here to bail you out. You're free to go."

Daryl was surprised when he was met by Dale as they led him out of the jail.

"Daryl." Dale said greeting him. "How are ya?"

"Been better." He mumbled.

"Come with me." He said.

They got in Dale's truck and he rode him back towards Rick's house. They were both silent on the way there. Dale pulled up and stopped in his own driveway. "Hey, Daryl. What you did, it was the right call. Every last one of us has wanted to do that to Ed. Especially Rick and Shane."

Daryl nodded. 'Thanks for bailing me out."

"No problem." Dale said. "Rick and Shane are waiting for you next door."

Daryl walked over to Rick's. He was still slightly pissed that they called the cops.

Rick and Shane were standing in the driveway waiting for him.

"You alright?" Rick asked.

Daryl nodded. "I'll be fine. I just don't get why you called the cops, man. The guy deserved it."

"We know he did." Shane said. "We had to, Daryl. We're cops. We can't lose our job over that, man. Ed, he would've called them himself later. Then it could've just been your word versus his."

"This way we have documentation, witnesses, it was done right from the get go." Rick butted in. "Besides, he broke a restraining order, a court ordered violation, and probation. He's in some trouble. We had to cover all of our bases."

"Yeah, I get it." Daryl mumbled. "Guess, I'm just in some shit too."

"Don't be so quick to assume. You're out aren't you? I have a feeling a judge is going to be pretty understanding of your actions." Rick added. "Look, I told you when the cops got there, just trust me, okay? I know why you did what you did, and Shane and I both wanted to do it. We just can't lose our jobs over beating his face in."

"Why'd you pull me off?" Daryl asked.

"Because I didn't want you to go to jail for murder." Rick said bluntly. "Some things I can't help get you out of."

"Carol and Sophia need ya around here, man." Shane added. "You did some damage, taught him a lesson. It couldn't go any farther."

Daryl nodded. He wasn't mad anymore, he understood why they did what they did. He appreciated it. He got that they were trying to help him and do what was best for Carol and Sophia.

"So, are we good?" Rick asked

"We're good." Daryl said. "Where's Carol and everyone else?"

"Out at Hershel's. Carol insisted on still having Sophia's party. We texted everyone and agreed to move it there. We were waiting for you to get back to head that way."

He shook his head. He couldn't believe she still wanted to have the party after everything that happened. "Is she okay? Is Sophia okay?"

"Her face is pretty bruised up, but she'll be okay. Sophia is shook up about everything, but she is a tough kid. She will bounce back. Come one, let's head over there."

()()()

Once they got to Hershel's they headed into the living room. Most everyone was in there except for Beth, Carl and Sophia. Andrea and Maggie were sitting by Carol.

She turned to face him immediately. The bruise was worse than it had been earlier. It pretty much covered the whole left side of her face. She stood up when she saw him. He thought she was going to walk to where he was, but he wasn't sure. So, without thinking he just took off and ran to her. He grabbed her and wrapped his arms around her like he hadn't seen her in months.

Everyone in the room watched them intently.

They broke apart after a few minutes, and he looked her in the eyes. She had tears running down them and it pretty much broke his heart to see her that way. He looked her up and down. He wanted to ask her if she was okay, but he couldn't get the words out.

"I'm fine." She said, as she grabbed his face in her hands and looked him in the eye. "I'm fine."

He nodded and rested his head on shoulder.

"Let's give them a minute." Maggie suggested.

Everyone left the room.

She sat down and he sat beside her. "What you did today. Thank you. You didn't have to and I'm sorry you got arrested." She said as she wiped tears from her eyes.

"It's nothing." He said. "Rick and Shane woulda done the same if they could have. They just can't lose their jobs."

She nodded. Although, she wasn't exactly sure. She knew Rick and Shane loved her and would help her anyway they could, but she wasn't sure that they would have protected her the same way. Without hesitation or concern for themselves or anyone else. She didn't argue with him thought. "You're every bit as good as them, you know. Every bit." She said. Then she did something that completely surprised him. She leaned in and kissed him in the forehead.

He looked down and away. He wasn't sure what do or what to say next.

She saw that he was getting nervous and uncomfortable. So she changed the subject. "How's your hand?" She said as she took it and looked at it.

He pulled back a little, not because it made him uncomfortable, but because it hurt.

She looked it over and noticed it was bruised up and cut pretty bad.

"It'll be fine." He assured her. "I've had worse."

They were both silent a moment.

"How's Sophia?" He finally asked

"She's pretty shaken up. She, Carl and Beth are outside in the stables with the horse. It turns out that she left her room and was looking out of the living room window the whole time." Carol said sadly. "She saw everything."

Daryl shook his head. He hated that she was going to remember her 13th Birthday party this way. "I'm sorry." He said gently.

"Can you, well, I was hoping you could talk to her." Carol asked looking at him pleadingly.

Talk to her about what?" He asked as he shifted in his seat.

"She saw you hitting Ed. She saw what he looked like after. It scared her." Carol said.

"I did what I had to do. What I did wasn't wrong." He said defensively.

"I know that, Daryl." She said calmly. "But she's just a little girl and the only person she has ever seen as mad as you were earlier is Ed. And when he was she's seen him leave me bloodied and bruised just like you left him. And he left her that way too, once. She doesn't know that the side of you that did that only did it out of protection. All she knows is she saw someone have their face bashed in. I just thought you could explain that to her. She thinks the world of you, but seeing you that mad scared her."

Daryl nodded. He hadn't thought of how scary that could have been to a kid. Especially one with an abusive past. He wasn't thinking of much of anything at the time. "I'll talk to her." He agreed


	16. Chapter 16

Daryl made his way from the house to the horse stables to talk with Sophia. He wasn't quite sure what he was going to say. Oh, sorry I beat your old man's face in. He is an abusive asshole and he deserved it. Somehow that didn't quite seem like something you should tell a child.

He walked into the stables and saw Beth, Carl and Sophia feeding the horses.

They didn't notice him at first. They seemed wrapped up in their own conversation.

"Hey Sophia." Daryl said nervously

The girl turned to look at him and immediately she looked uncomfortable.

"Hey." She said quietly and then looked down. She began kicking her feet like Daryl does when he is uncomfortable.

"Do you guys mind if I speak with Sophia for a minute?" Daryl asked looking at Carl and Beth.

"Not at all." Beth said. She walked off back towards the house.

Carl didn't move. He stayed there by Sophia. Watching her to see what he should do.

"Carl, can you give us sec?" Daryl asked.

"I'm not leaving her." He said determined.

"Alright." Daryl said caving. He figured he may have scared Carl a little bit earlier too and he may need to hear what he had to say too. Whatever the hell that ended up being.

Daryl bent down and had one of his knees on the ground. He wanted to be eye level with both of them.

"I'm real sorry about what you saw earlier." He said softly. "I know that I scared you."

She wouldn't look up at him. Her eyes were fixed on the ground.

"What I did, beating up your dad like that, it's not just something I did because I just felt like it."

Okay, internally he knew that was somewhat of a lie. He did want to do that, but he had a reason to.

"I did it because he hurt your mom. When I saw him hit her like that, I lost my temper real quick. He was gonna do worse than that. I saw him go after her again. I couldn't ever stand by and let someone hurt you or your mom. I hope you understand that, Sophia."

She was still looking at the ground and he could hear her tearing up now. Carl was standing beside her, he had now taken her hand in his. He was still and silent, and he seemed much older than 12 right now to Daryl.

"I don't want you to be scared of me." He said. "He gently put his hand out and touched her shoulder. I wouldn't ever do anything like that to you or your mom. I'm not your old man. That ain't me.

He was silent for a minute. Trying to decide if he should say what he wanted to next.

"See my daddy used to beat me up when I was a kid. My mom and brother too. He silently confessed. No one deserves that. I know he's your dad, but your mama and you deserve better than him. As long as I'm around, I ain't got let him or anyone else hurt either of you."

She was crying hard now. He was sure he was upsetting her more. Damn, he sucked at this.

She turned to face him and threw her arms around his neck. She was crying into his shoulder now.

He just wrapped his arms around her. He didn't say anything else. He didn't know what else to say. Carl stood there, watching both of them. Not saying a word either.

"Promise you won't ever hurt us?" Sophia managed through tears. Still latched on to Daryl's neck.

"I promise." He said.

"And you'll keep him away from us?" She said.

"I will." Daryl said.

He let go of her for a minute. He lifted her chin and made him look him in the eyes.

"If you or your mama ever need me, you just call me. Okay? I don't care where I'm at or what I'm doing. I'll come."

He reached into his pocket and pulled out his phone.

"Put your number in here. He said softly. I'll send you a text and you'll have mine too."

Sophia took his phone. She looked at the screen and managed to smile a little to herself. The background picture on his phone was one of her mom and him. Her mom was covered in paint and it looked like she had been reaching for something when Daryl snapped the picture. She was looking up at him smiling and he was looking back down at her doing the same.

She didn't say anything. She just put her number in there and handed it back to him. She wasn't crying anymore, but her face was red and her eyes were puffy.

"We okay now?" He asked.

She nodded and gave him a smile.

"Yeah, Daryl." She said.

"Good." He said.

That's weird. She's never called me by my first name before. He thought. She had always called him Mr. Dixon. Even though she refereed to all of Carol's other adult friends by their first name.

He now turned his attention to Carl. "

Same goes to you, ya know. I didn't mean to scare you either. And I'm here for you too." He said as he nudged his shoulder.

Carl gave him a smile.

"Thanks, Daryl." He said.

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++  
Daryl made his way inside with Carl and Sophia. The adults all seemed to notice she was in better spirits now.

Carol made eye contact with Daryl and he gave her a slight nod. She offered him a small smile in return.

Since Sophia was feeling better now, she ended up asking if they could eat her cake and open presents.

Carol was somewhat amazed at her daughter. After everything she had been through today and everything she had gone through her whole life, she wasn't letting it keep her down or ruin her day. She was glad for that though, that's what she wanted for her. To have a normal life and be happy. It's what she had worked so hard to provide for her these last ten months. She was strong, and Carol was almost positive she didn't get that from her. If she was strong, she would have left Ed a long time ago,

Sophia opened her presents and continued on with the rest of the afternoon as if nothing happened. All of the adults pushed the earlier events of the day out of their minds and were determined not to bring it up again today either. After all, a girl only turns 13 once, she deserved to have a good party.

She ended up asking her mom if she could stay the night at Herschel's. She had gotten some make-up and nail polish from Andrea for her birthday and she wanted to stay the night so Beth could fix her up. Plus Maggie was down for the weekend and she had been busy with school, so she hadn't gotten to see her favorite babysitter lately.

"I think that's a great idea for Sophia to stay here." Herschel chimed in. "You could stay the night too." He suggested

Although no one had said anything out loud, they were all a little worried about get returning home tonight. Rick had contacted the station and heard that after Ed received some stiches and treatment for his broken nose, he was taken into custody. They were all slightly worried he may con his way into making bail and show back up though.

"I appreciate that, Herschel." Carol said kindly. "I really just want to go home and get in my own bed though. If Sophia wants to stay then it's fine with me. I know she's in good hands. Besides, she whispered to Herschel, Ed doesn't know where you live. I'm almost relieved she will be here. Just in case."

Carl quickly put in to stay the night with Herschel too and his parents agreed.

"Hey Carol", Lori said. "Why don't you just stay the night with us? You lived in the basement apartment for months. That bed is practically yours anyway."

She looked at her pregnant friend, who at 6 months already looked like she had a basketball under her shirt.

"I know you're worried about me, but I'm fine. I promise. I don't want to hide. I just want to go back to my house, get on my shower, and sleep in my bed. I love you and Rick, and I know you want to protect me and be there for me. You both have, so much and I am so grateful. I just can't run and hide from him. I'm not going to be that person anymore. I can't be. He isn't going to take my house or my freedom from me. I worked too hard to get it."

"I love you both." She said as she wrapped her arms around Lori and then Rick.

Daryl had been standing in the doorway watching the exchange.

Carol left the room to go tell Sophia goodnight and he went and stood beside Rick.

Rick turned and looked at him.

"Will you…"

Before Rick could finish his sentence Daryl interrupted him.

"Already on it. Daryl said as he gave Rick's shoulder a light slap and headed in the next room."

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++  
He met up with Carol as she was coming back through.

"My trucks still at your house."

She nodded.

"I guess you can just ride back with me then."

"Sounds good." He replied.

Rick and Lori arrived back at their house. The silence was almost eerie. It wasn't often Carl wasn't home, and even if he wasn't, they had gotten used to Carol or Sophia being there back when they were still staying with them.

"Today was crazy." Rick said as he ran his hands through his hair.

"I know. I can't believe Ed showed up and did that. He had no right, no right at all."

"Hopefully he is gonna get locked up for a while. I'm gonna talk to his judge. Try and get the hardest punishment that I can get. He's dangerous. I have to find out who's going to be over Daryl's case too. I think it can be dropped or reduced. I know he beat him up pretty bad, but he was just protecting her." Rick said.

"We need to talk about Daryl." Lori said. As she sat down. She was looking down at her belly and rubbing her hand over it.

"Stop, Lori. Not tonight, okay? I can't deal with that right now. I know you don't like him hanging around Carol and Sophia, but…"

"Rick." She said firmly. "Let me finish."

"I was just going to say that you're right. Daryl's a good guy. He cares a lot about Carol and Sophia. I clearly see that now. I shouldn't have doubted your intuition with him and if he and Carol ever do get together, I would be happy for them. She needs someone like that. If I had a camera I would have recorded him beating Ed's ass and I would watch it repeatedly. He got what was coming to him."

Carol had been silent for most of the ride back to her place. Daryl didn't blame her. She'd had a rough day. He was amazed at how she just removed herself from everything that happened and put on a brave face in front of everyone for Sophia. He was pretty sure that she was one of the strongest people that he had ever met.

Once they pulled up in her driveway she finally broke the silence.

"Thank you for talking to Sophia. I don't know what you said, but whatever it was helped."

"I just let her know she didn't need to be scared of me. Told her that I wouldn't ever hurt either of ya. Let her know my dad was an abusive asshole too. She's a good kid. She's strong. I think she's gonna be alright."

Carol nodded. He couldn't be more right about her strength and resilience.

"You know:, Daryl added. "I think you're gonna be in for it with her and Carl one day." He laughed a little. "Those little sleepovers they have might need to be cut out soon."

Carol knew he was right. She had noticed how close they were, and while they were still young enough for it to be cute, she knew they were becoming teenagers and things were going to change.

"I think you're right. I keep trying to tell Lori that, but she swears they have a brother/sister bond."

"Yeah, well this is Georgia." He joked. "Stanger things have happened."

She let out a small laugh.

He couldn't help but smile. After all she had been through today, she deserved to laugh about something.

She saw him looking at her, smiling at her. It was dark in the truck, but the moon was out tonight and it was full and bright. It illuminated his face and she could see his blue eyes shining as they gazed into hers. And in that moment, she knew she was completely, utterly screwed. Because she knew in that second, that she loved him. He was the man who literally just put her ex-husband in the hospital for her earlier, he was the man that went to her daughters soccer games, the man who helped her fix up this house she was living in. He had done more for her than any other man, aside from Rick. And even Rick hadn't resorted to physical violence on her behalf like Daryl had. And it broke her heart, because was sure he didn't love her back. And that he never would. He watched out for her. He helped her. He protected her. But she was sure he did that because he saw her as a sister. As part of his family. He couldn't love her. She was older than him, she had short hair and it was salt and pepper in color. Ed had never let her dye it and she just really hadn't thought about it now that she was away from him. She had bigger things she had been worrying about and getting into a relationship was the last thing on her mind, or it had been. Her chest was smaller, she wasn't flat chested, but her boobs weren't huge. She pictured Daryl with some blond bombshell type. The kind with huge boobs. She also knew she was damaged and she had a kid who was damaged. There was just no way he would ever go for her.

So, instead of doing what she really wanted, which was kissing him of course, she leaned in and hugged him.

"Thank you for everything. Goodnight and drive home safe."

"Ain't going home." He said.

"What?" She asked as she looked at him confused.

"You wouldn't stay at Herschel's or Rick and Lori's. You wanted to come home and get in your own bed. I get it, I do. You don't wanna hide. You deserve the comfort of being in your own home tonight, but you don't need to be alone."

"I'll be fine. You don't have to…"

"I know I don't have to, but I am. You got the guest room and a couch. I can sleep on either one. It don't matter. But I ain't leaving. Nothing you say is changing my mind."

"Daryl…"

"Stop being so damn hard headed. We can sit here and argue about it the next twenty minutes or you can go inside and get a shower like ya wanted to. Your choice."


	17. Chapter 17

**As always, thanks for the reviews! I know that things have been intense in these chapters lately, but happier times will come again. There are just come intense chapters that are going to be pretty important to the story and for everyone's development. I find it amazing that people from other countries are reading this. It's so cool. Meliewn, you were my first review and I think it's awesome you're still with this story and you like it so much. Anyway, enjoy the chapter. It's bit longer than normal and it was harder to write than I envisioned it to be.)**

Carol relented and agreed to let him stay the night. She was too exhausted to argue with him, and she knew that he wasn't backing down about it either. He was worried, and as sweet as she thought that was, she really didn't want company and just wanted to be alone. So, when they got inside the house she excused herself and told him she was just going to get a shower and go straight to bed.

He wasn't really upset about her going to straight to bed. He could relate to the emotional toll that abuse took on a person, and he knew her face had to be in pain. It looked awful. It was swollen and black and blue. Every time he looked at her, he felt himself getting mad at Ed all over again. Although, he took solace in the fact that he messed his face up at least twice as bed. The son of a bitch deserved it. And he wasn't going to be sorry or feel bad about it.

He'd been in fights before, plenty of them right alongside Merle. His older brother was pretty good at picking fights with people, especially after he had a few drinks in him. Most of the fights had been bar fights. Fueled strictly by alcohol and ignorance. Of course, whenever someone hit his older brother first, he was going to jump in and defend him. It was his job, they had each other's back. Always had and always would.

Yet, he had never been as angry as someone in a fight as he had been when he jumped on Ed. He had long since been waiting for the opportunity to teach the man a lesson if he ever got the chance, and catching him in action had been more than enough to give him every reason to do so. Although, once he was on top of him, repeatedly hitting him, a part of him wasn't only lashing out for Carol and Sophia. He was also picturing his dad and the years of abuse he had dished out to his mom, to Merle, to him. He didn't really feel in control of himself of his emotions at that moment. That somewhat scared him a little, because when Rick pulled him off, he didn't even think to see who had been trying to stop him before he reacted. He just immediately turned around and shoved him as hard as he could when he let him go. He wondered what he would have done if it had been Carol behind him instead. Would he have pushed her, hurt her? He didn't really want to think about that anymore.

After Carol had retreated to her room he had decided that he may was well try and get some sleep too. He was pretty exhausted from today's events too. He shifted on his side in the guest bedroom. He had been laying there a while, but he just couldn't make himself fall asleep Too many things had been going through his head. Plus, his hand was really starting to hurt him. It was swollen too and bruised from and the cuts were stinging. He forced himself out of bed and made his way into the kitchen. Carol had a medicine cabinet in there that hung on the wall near the sink. He had been here so often since she moved in that he pretty much knew where she kept everything.

He grabbed a bottle of water out of the fridge and got two Motrin out of the cabinet. He chased the pills with a big swig of the water and sighed. He wished he had a damn cigarette. He didn't smoke too much around Carol, Rick or anyone else in their group. He knew they didn't smoke, and he just felt kind of bad smoking in front of the kids. So, he didn't bring any with them today. He had no idea he wouldn't be doing back to his own house tonight. Oh well, he thought, guess I'll just go back to bed.

He made his way down the hall towards the guest room, but when he passed by Carol's room he heard some noises. He couldn't make out what it was at first, but he quickly realized it was her crying. Every fiber of his being wanted to ignore it, pretend he didn't hear her and just go back to the guest room. He didn't know what to say when people were upset, he damn sure didn't know what to do with a crying woman. But he couldn't just walk on past the room, knowing she was in there and what had happened to her. He stayed here tonight because he knew she didn't need to be alone, so he had to man up and check on her. He slowly approached the door and gave it a soft knock.

"You alright?" He said softly.

"Yeah." She replied quietly

"Can I come in?"

"Sure."

He opened the door slowly. The lights were off, but the moonlight was shining through the window well enough that he could see.

He noticed she was sitting upright, leaned back against the headboard. She was wiping her eyes. He had been right. She was crying.

"Can I sit down?" He asked motioning next to her on the bed.

"You kidding? I've been trying to get you in bed since I met you." She joked.

She pulled the covers back and patted the bed for him to come sit beside her.

Normally he would have turned red and told her to stop for making a joke like that. They embarrassed him and they made things awkward. Tonight he didn't know what to say or do. He knew she was trying to joke around and lighten the mood, but he also knew she was upset and he knew that there was no easy fix to this.

He just said. Pffft and let out a small laugh as he crawled in bed with her.

He made sure to leave a few inches space between them

"You wanna talk about it?" Daryl asked.

"Not really." She said with a sad tone to her voice.

They were both silent for a minute.

He wanted to say something, anything. He wanted to take the pain away that she felt. Tell her that it was all going to be okay. He just couldn't find the words.

He looked up at her and he could tell she was fighting back tears at this point. She was biting down on her lip and she was squinting her face. He could her breathing harder. She didn't want him to see her cry.

This was killing him. He felt so powerless to do anything. He couldn't take it anymore.

"Come here". He said as he scooted closer to her and wrapped his arm around her.

Once he had his arm around her, she just collapsed into him. She slumped down and laid her head on his chest and wrapped her arms around his waist. She began sobbing immediately.

They had hugged before, so he was okay with putting his arm around her. He was used to making contact with her by now. It was a regular thing for her to touch his arm, wrap her arms around his waist while they were on his bike, give him a hug when he did something nice for her, or even playfully nudge his shoulder. However, they had never been this close or intimate before. Her head was pressed hard against his chest and her arms wrapped tightly around his waist. She was crying so hard that her tears were already soaking his shirt. He thought that this should feel awkward or weird, her being so close to him, showing so much emotion with him. But it didn't. Holding her like this, it felt right. In that moment he wanted to hold her and protect her forever, and he found himself wishing that circumstances were different. That she wasn't just pressed up against him right now because her ex-husband beat her up. He'd never cared about someone else like he cared about her before. He felt like he would do anything for her, for Sophia. He would protect them with his life. He thought about all the time he had spent with her the last four months, how he had immediately acted to protect her the moment he saw Ed lay a hand on her. He thought about the fact that as she laid here against him crying, how his heart was literally breaking. And he knew. Right then, right there. He was in love with this woman. He had never been in love before, but he had no doubt that what he felt for her, the things he would do for her, that was love. Despite how much he had tried to fight it or tell himself they were just friends, he knew he was lying to himself and everyone else.

And it sucked, because he would always know he was never good enough to be with her.

He took his free hand and wrapped it around her too and then laid his head on hers.

:It's gone be alright", he whispered, "that asshole ain't ever gonna hurt you again. I won't let him."

"I'm…. so…stupid." She managed between sobs.

"You ain't stupid. What he did, it's not on you." He said.

"It is." She said Tears continuing to run down her face.

She managed to compose herself enough to begin to explain herself.

I didn't have to marry him. I didn't even know him that well. He got a job at the hospital as a janitor and I'd seen him around some. I thought he was kind of cute, but I was way too shy to do anything about it. One night he ended up asking me out. He seemed sweet, and he was charming. We slept together pretty quickly. That wasn't like me, it wasn't like me at all. But one night the condom broke and a month later I found out I was pregnant. We'd only been dating two months. After I told him, he asked me to marry him. I should have said no. I was just, I didn't want my daughter to grow up without a father. My parents split up when I was young and my dad wasn't around much. I didn't want that for her. Soon after we were married he stopped being so nice. He always made me wait on him hand and foot. He'd call me stupid if he got mad at me. Little things at first. I stayed. I just figured he was stressed about me being pregnant. I went on maternity leave when I was 8 months. He insisted that I just not go back once she was born. He said that she would need her mother. After she was born he wouldn't really have anything to do with her. When she would cry at night he'd get up and leave. Sometimes he'd stay gone for days. Then, when she was three months old she was crying a lot. She had colic really bad. He left for a few hours, when he came back she was still crying. He called me a horrible mother, cussed me out for not being able to get her to calm down, and then he slapped me. It was the first time he had ever put his hands on me, but it was just the beginning. I made excuse after excuse for him, but he would always do it again. And it just got worse and worse. He has broken ribs, my collar bone, dislocated my shoulder, broken wrists, broken elbows. I wouldn't leave, no matter what he did to me, I wouldn't leave. And then, he finally put his hands on Sophia one night after beating the hell out of me. I snapped. I just lost it. I managed to get myself up and grab the gun he had hidden in the living room and I shot him in the leg. Part of me wanted to kill him, maybe I would have if I had better aim. I don't know. I called Rick and told him what happened and that was it. I left after that, but it doesn't matter now. Because I won't ever truly get away. I thought it taught him a lesson, I thought he wouldn't come around anymore. I thought we were finally free and safe, but he just didn't come back because he wasn't ready to. He's the father of my child, I'll never really be free from him. And it's all my fault. I shouldn't have married him or I should have left him a long time ago. I let my child see him treat me like that, I let him treat her horribly. She has no idea how a man should treat a woman because of me. I'm an idiot and a horrible mother…

She had never talked to him about Ed before. Not really. She would mention small things about him being an asshole or making snide comments, but she avoided the horrid details of their marriage. Even after he showed her his scars to let her know he had an abusive past too. She wasn't ready to talk about it, and he never pushed her.

What she had just told him had come out fast and she was crying the whole time she said it, yet he heard every word. Every single word.

He lifted his head a little and let go of her for a second. He slid his hand under her chin, he was very careful not to touch the side of her face Ed had hit earlier. He lifted her chin up so her eyes were facing his.

"Stop." He said tenderly. "You're not an idiot. You're one of the smartest, kindest people I've ever known and you're damn sure not a terrible mother. You work hard to provide for Sophia. You're always there for her and she knows you love her."

"But Daryl…"

He interrupted her before she could finish her thought.

"When I was about 9 I was down the road playing with some kids in the neighborhood. They had bikes, we couldn't afford anything like that, so I was down there waiting on a turn to ride somebody's. We all heard these sirens. They kept getting closer and closer. So we took off towards the sound. Turns out, it was my house that they were going to and it was my house up in flames. My mom.."

He paused for a moment. The story was still painful to talk about to this day.

"My mom was in there. See, she used to love to drink. She drank a lot. Especially after my dad would beat up on her or one of us. She liked to smoke too. Virginia slims, they were her favorite. Anyway, I guess she drank too much and passed out with one of em in her mouth. That was it. She was gone."

"I'm sorry. Daryl." She said as she reached up to touch his face.

"Yeah, me too." He said quietly.

"Anyway, I told you this, because you ain't a horrible mother. Despite what Ed did, you're always there for her. You always let her know you love her and that you'd protect her. I never had that, not even when my mom was alive. She stayed drunk all the time so she could deal with shit. And maybe you waited to leave, but you did and you did it after the first time he ever laid a hand on her. You were scared and you didn't know what to do. Hell, I can relate. I didn't leave my old man's house until I was 17. I shoulda ran away long before that. Instead, I stayed until Merle got back from the army. I just sat there and took my beatings. Even when I was probably old enough I coulda whooped his ass. So, don't down yourself for staying and don't down yourself for what he did. It ain't on you. That's on him. I don't ever want you to think that about yourself again, okay?"

He was still looking in her eyes at this point. He wanted to make sure she understood him. He hated that Ed made her feel this way, he thought she was amazing in every way. He wished she could see that.

She nodded.

She couldn't speak right now. If she did she would be completely in tears right now. Between the story about Daryl's mom and all the sweet things he had said to her, she was even more of an emotional wreck.

"Good." He said.

He let go of her chin and wrapped his arms back around her. He slid down a little so his head was on the pillow now, instead of being up against the head board. They were both laying down now and she had her head on his chest again. Neither of them said anything else and before they knew it they had both fallen asleep. ir


	18. Chapter 18

**I know that I update a lot, I do have a life, I promise. I just use this as an outlet to procrastinate. Anyway, the next four weeks are going to be busy for me and I probably won't update as much. I hope you guys will be patient and continue reading. Enjoy)**

Carol woke up a little after 8. She was still curled up against Daryl. It was almost if neither of them had moved in their sleep. She wished she could asleep with him like that every night. She felt so protected and safe in his arms. She was surprised when he insisted on staying with her. She was even more surprised when he ended up in her room checking on her and she ended up in his arms, crying herself to sleep. He was so kind, so caring, and just so damn sweet. Which is odd, because you wouldn't think Daryl was any of those things from just looking at him.

She was still wrapped up in his arms and she would have given almost anything to just stay like this all day, but she was sure this wasn't something they were just going to do now. Snuggle up for the hell of it. He was holding her for a purpose, and that purpose was because she was upset and crying. She looked up at him and sighed. She may as well get out of bed now, because the longer she stayed like this the harder it was going to be get up.

She was careful not to wake him. She gently removed his arms from around her. Once she was free she sat up and looked at him. He looked so peaceful and happy jut laying there. She leaned down and kissed his forehead.

"Thanks for everything, pookie." She whispered

Daryl woke up about an hour later. He had slept so good last night. Having Carol in his arms, her head on his chest. He wished that he could fall asleep like that all the time.

When he first woke up and didn't notice her beside him, he thought that it had all been a dream. Then he noticed that the walls on this room were blue and not gray. Since he painted the walls himself, he knew it couldn't have been a dream. He was in her room, not the guest room.

He heard noises coming from the kitchen and made his way in there.

"Morning." He said sleepily

"Good morning." She said as she flashed him a quick smile.

She was sitting two plates down at the table.

"Ya didn't have to cook", he said as he made his way towards her, "I coulda went and grabbed us something."

I know, but I wanted to. It keeps me busy, I don't think about things as much. She shrugged.

He looked at the left side of her face. It looked even worse than it did yesterday.

He grimaced. Then he stepped closer to her and reached out and touched her face gently.

"Does it hurt?" He asked

"A little, but I took some pain medicine. I'll be fine, Daryl, I promise." She said as she took her hand and covered his with it.

"What about your hand? How is it?"

He lifted up and looked it over.  
"Looks worse than it feels." He said

They sat and ate together and when he was done he told her that he had to go. He had been planning to go visit Merle today. He went once a month and this was the Sunday he would be expecting him to come. He knew Merle would be suspicious if he didn't show up. He didn't plan on getting in depth with Merle about his weekend though, he had no intentions of telling him about his fight with Ed or getting locked up.

After he left he promised he would stop back by later and check on her and Sophia. He made her promise to give him a call if she needed anything at all before he got back.

He arrived at the jail to visit Merle, but as usual, he had to wait a few minutes before they brought Merle into the visitation room with him. The jail he was being housed in had am open room where the inmates could go and visit their family. It was nice to be able to see your loved ones face to face versus being behind a glass window like back when Merle had done a stint in actual prison a few years ago.

Daryl sat shaking his leg nervously waiting on Merle. He had a long weekend and as much as he loved and missed his brother, he really just wanted to get this over with. He was a little paranoid after what happened yesterday and wanted to check back in with Carol and Sophia.

He looked up and Merle was being led in by a guard. He had an angry look on his face and was scowling at Daryl.

The guard led Merle to the table and sat him down in front of Daryl.

"Well, well, look what the cat dragged in." Merle said with a crooked grin.

"How was your weekend, baby brother?" He asked. Eyeing him curiously.

"It was alright." Daryl. Said.

"Really? It was alright?" Merle asked. "So, nothing exciting happened? You just sat at home, all by your lonesome all weekend."

"Pretty much." Daryl said lying.

"Don't lie to me boy." Merle said in a harsh tone. "Let me see your hand."

Daryl held up his left hand.

"Hands fine." He grumbled.

He was confused, yet he suspected Merle knew something. He didn't know how or what, but he knew that Merle knew something.

"Your other hand." Merle growled

Daryl eyed him. He knew this wasn't going to end well, but what could his brother really do. He was in jail and there were guards all around.

He held up his right hand. It was still swollen and his cuts were visible. Like Carol's face, it was more bruised than it had been the day before.

"That's what I thought." Merle said. As he eyed his little brother's hand.

"What the hell were you thinking?" Merle asked

"What are you talking about?" Daryl said

"I know what happened yesterday, dumbass. I know you beat the hell out of some woman's husband and I know you got arrested."

"How the hell do you know that?" He asked. He had surprise written all over his face. "You some kinda psychic now or something?"

"I had a little visitor before you got here. Axel dropped in to see me."

"Axel?" Daryl said confused. "I don't even talk to Axel. How's he know what happened."

"His sister lives in the neighborhood your little wifey friend was in." Merle said.

"He's been staying with her lately. Ever since he lost that job with the guy you been working for. He saw you run and jump on her husband."

"Ain't her husband." Daryl added coldly. "They're divorced. Been divorced for almost a year now."

"Don't matter what he is, little brother. You ain't got no business getting mixed up in all that mess. You done went thirty five years without getting arrested and now you done go and get locked up over a piece of ass? What the hell's wrong with you?"

"It ain't like that. We ain't… We're just friends okay.."

"Haha! Oh really now?" Merle said.

Daryl could heard the disbelief on his older brother's voice.

"So, you and this little lady ain't fucking around? Because from what I hear you stay over there a whole lot. In fact, I head you stayed there all night last night. Our old man's truck was still there when Axel left to head this way this morning."

"You don't know nothing." Daryl spat. "I stayed there last night because her ex-husband came over and was knocking her around and she was upset. She didn't need to be alone. That's why I got locked up too. I pulled up and they were arguing and he hit her. She don't deserve that. No one does, you should know that as well as I do."

Daryl was leveling his eyes at his brother. He didn't want to have this conversation with him right now. He hadn't ever talked to him about Carol or Sophia before. Hell, any of his new friends really. He mentioned Rick and how he helped him when he was stranded on the side of the road and that Rick helped him get a job, but he didn't mention that they were really good friends now and he damn sure didn't mention Rick was a cop. It wasn't that he was ashamed of them, he just knew Merle wouldn't understand.

"Now, Now, little brother. Hold on. You know I don't condone hitting women and I think any low life son bitch who does needs their ass beat, so I get that part, I do. But tell me now, I'm still a little lost on how you ended up at this girls' house just at the right time and place. All like a knight and shining armor and all."

Daryl sighed. He guessed now was a good as time as any to catch him up on his life.

"I was meeting her over there to get things ready for Sophia's party."

Sophia? Who's Sophia?

"It's her daughter. She turns 13 on Monday."

"So, what? You got a thing for little girls now?" Merle said snidely.

"Screw you." Daryl said

"Oh, I'm just fucking with you baby brother." Go on with your story.

So, Daryl filled him in on Rick and his family and on Carol and all his other new friends and what he had really been doing the last few months. To Daryl's surprise, Merle had sat there rather calmly the entire time he had told his story. Maybe a little too quietly.

"Let me get this straight?" Merle finally said once he was done. "I been locked up these last four months and you been off in the suburbs playing house with some woman with an abusive ex-husband and a kid and you go off and become best friends with a cop? What the fuck is going on here? Am I in another world? Is this the fucking twilight zone?"

"Rick's a good guy. He and Shane might be cops, but they're cool. And I ain't playing house with no one. Carol and I are just friends."

"That why you was smashing her ex-husbands face in yesterday? Because you're such a good friend and all?" Merle asked.

"You know why I did that." Daryl said. "Same reason you woulda."

"Boy, I don't know what I'm gone do with you. It's a good thing I'll be home in a few months. Then we can head out and get you away from there. You're somewhere you don't belong right now."

"The hell you talking bout?" Daryl said.

"When I get out, we're gonna leave that shit hole shack that bastard left to us. We can head south. Maybe towards the coast. Savannah maybe. Get us some good jobs. Tomas, a guy I met in here knows somebody…"

"No way, bro. I got a good job right now. I'm making twenty dollars an hour. Got a good boss too. I ain't walking away from that. You can find a job here."

"And what? Come hang out with you and your little wifey friend and the cop? I don't think so. I don't belong in the suburbs and neither do you. You best not forget where you came from and who you are."

"I know who I am and where I belong." Daryl said.

He had an air of confidence and resolution in his voice that Merle had never heard before, and he didn't like it. He was used to his little brother following his lead.

"Let me ask ya this then? Do your new friends and your little lady know you done drugs before. Ate shrooms and got so damn high you thought you saw a chupacabra? Do they know you've done meth and been up with me geeking for days? Or that took E with me and then you snorted cocaine off of some strippers tits?"

Daryl froze. He hadn't told them he had done drugs before, and it wasn't that he was ever addicted to them or made it a regular thing like Merle. He just tried some things a few times, he never really liked them. It wasn't his thing. He hadn't done any type of drug other than alcohol in well over a year. In fact, the last time he had just smoked a joint with Merle. Before that he hadn't done anything hard in years.

"That stuff don't matter. What I did when I was younger, that ain't me, man. I ain't a damn dope head. I just tried some of that a few times with you. I never even liked it."

Daryl looked hurt and defeated at this point. His voice was low and sad.

"Keep telling yourself that, little brother. Whatever helps you sleep at night with your little girlfriend in the suburbs."

"Time's up, Dixon." The guard said as he came to get Merle and take him back to his cell.

Merle looked at Daryl as the guard was leading him away.

"Don't forget where you come from and where you belong. Keep on playing house if that makes ya happy, but when I get out, you best remember who's always been there and who always will be."


	19. Chapter 19

**(Yet another night of me not being able to sleep and not wanting to catch up on work. So, once again, I find myself writing. Oh, and I went back and read my own story. Damn, I really need to proof read. My spelling errors are horrific. Anyhow, here's another chapter. BTW, I don't own TWD, yadadadaa. If I did I would already know what was going to happen on next Sunday's episode and I wouldn't be a nervous wreck waiting for it.)**

As much as Daryl loved and missed his brother, he was damn sure glad that guard had walked up and said time was up from there little visit earlier. He had known that Merle wasn't going to approve of his new friends, he knew that those weren't the kind of circles that his older brother ran in. However, he hadn't really thought much about what would happen once his brother came home. It always seemed so far off that he kept pushing it out of his mind. Now, with only a few months left before Merle was due to come home, Daryl had a lot to think about.

Merle had come out and bluntly told him that he wasn't good enough for the circle he had been running in. He affirmed Daryl's own assumptions that he wasn't good enough for Carol and Sophia. Daryl would be lying if he said that the things his brother said didn't sting. They hurt and being reminded of choices he had made in the past, choices he was ashamed of, that hurt too. He wondered what Carol would say if she knew he had done drugs before. Would she still think that he was such a good man? Would she still want him around her child? And Rick, he was a freaking cop. What would he say?

"Dammit Merle". Daryl muttered to himself as he sat outside the jail and smoked a cigarette.

Bastard ain't even back yet and he is already screwing shit up for me. Daryl thought. Merle is still in there and he is still out here, and he isn't going to let what his brother said ruin what he has going for him right now. He's just gonna wait until Merle is home to figure out the rest.

He threw the cigarette on the ground and stomped it out. Then he cranked up his bike and rode off.

++++++++++++++++  
Daryl had planned on going back by Carol's to check on her and Sophia, but he wanted to stop by Dale's and see what he owed him first for bailing him out. He hadn't even thought about it yesterday when he took him home. His had been elsewhere.

He pulled up at Dale's on knocked a few times before the older man finally answered.

"Oh, hey Daryl. I wasn't expecting you. How are you? And what about Carol and Sophia?" Dale said as he opened the door.

"I'm good." Daryl said. "I think they're alright today. Sophia was still at Herschel's when I left Carols this morning, but Carol was okay. She was cooking breakfast."

Daryl didn't mention the fact that she cried herself to sleep in his arms last night. He felt like that was a personal moment, just between the two of them, and he knew she didn't like people to see her cry. She was trying so hard to be strong.

"That's good. She's one tough cookie." Dale said with a laugh.

"Yeah, she is." Daryl agreed. "Anyway, I just came by cause I wanted to give ya whatever it cost to bail me out yesterday. Ya didn't have to do that, and I appreciate it."

"I can't take your money, Daryl." Dale began

"Look man, I did what I did and it ain't on you to pay for it. Just tell me what I owe you." Daryl said

"Daryl, I might have been the one to hand the money to them, but it wasn't my money that got you out."

"What?" He asked confused. "Did Carol do this? She's already got a house payment and her little girl to worry about, she shouldn't have."

"It wasn't Carol." Dale said. "Although, she offered to."

"Who then?" Daryl said. "Rick?"

Dale shook his head. "It was Shane."

"Shane?" Daryl was taken a back. He and Shane weren't enemies, but they weren't best friends either. They were more friends by association. He was only ever around him if Rick was. It wasn't that he disliked him per say, but Shane was loud, obnoxious and arrogant. Daryl was quiet and reserved and he didn't go around bragging about himself. Shane was alright by him, he just wouldn't have expected him to be the one that bailed him out.

"He insisted." Dale added when he saw the way Daryl was looking at him with his eyes squinted and his face scrunched up. "He's over at Rick's now if you wanna go pay him back."

"Alright. Thanks Dale." Daryl said as he walked next door.

Daryl knocked on the door and Lori opened it.

"Daryl!" She said with a smile.

Then she completely shocked him.

She wrapped her arms around him and gave him a hug. He and Lori got along, but they definitely hadn't hugged before. Now, here she was hugging him like he was her damn best friend. And her pregnant belly was pressed against his stomach.

He tensed a little when she hugged him, and he didn't immediately hug her back, but he eventually lightly placed his arms on hers.

"Um, good to see you too?" He said with confusion etched in his voice.

She let go of him and looked at him and flashed a small smile.

"I know you stayed at Carol's last night. Thank you for looking out for her, and what you did to Ed yesterday, just, thank you."

That was new. Lori thanking him for staying with Carol. Then he wondered what all Carol had told Lori. He knew that she wasn't normally a fan of them alone together, he figured she would stroke out if he knew he slept in a bed with her.

"Hey man." Rick said as Daryl walked in the living room.

"Hey." Daryl said.

"I heard from the station today. Ed's not gonna get bail. He should be locked up for the rest of his probation."

"How long's that?" Daryl asked.

Rick grimaced. "Two months…."

"That's bullshit." Daryl said.

"I know." Rick added. "I'm going to see what else they can add to it."

Daryl shook his head.

"You wanna beer?" Shane asked.

"I don't know. I'm supposed to go check on Carol and Sophia in a little bit, I gotta be good to drive."

"Carol is on the way to get Carl and Sophia. She's gonna drop Carl by here and hang out for a while." Rick said. You can stay here and wait for her if you want."

"Yeah, alright." Daryl said as he took a seat and reached for the beer Shane had in his hand.

He stayed and talked to Rick and Shane a bit and then Rick excused himself for a minute to go talk to Lori.

"Hey." Daryl said to Shane. "I appreciate you bailing me out yesterday."

"Dale tell ya?" Shane asked with a grin.

"Yeah."

"Man's never been able to keep his mouth shut." Shane shook his head

"I tried to pay him for it, he wouldn't take my money because he said he didn't pay it. I wanna give you what it cost." Daryl said as he reached for his wallet.

"Nah, man. I can't let you do that."

"Why?" Daryl said.

"Because, truthfully, if there was any way for you to have not been arrested we would have done it. We had to let the station know so Ed could be locked up and punished. But, we didn't want ya locked up man. I mean, hell we enjoyed watching you lay Ed out. Don't worry about it."

"I ain't taking no hand out, man. I did what I did and I'd do it again. I can pay my own bills."

"I know you can." Shane said, putting his hands up. "I know you make good money with T-Dog. I wanna pay for this. It's a thank you."

"For what?" Daryl asked.

"For taking care of Carol and Sophia. For being there for both of them these last few months. For busting Ed's face up. For staying with Carol last night. I don't know man, for being one of us. You're part of our crew now. I know you and I ain't best friends or whatever, but you're one of us, and we look out for each other. I respect what ya did. I respect the kind of man you are. Shane shrugged. Now, can we drop all this girly, feely talk and have another beer."

Daryl bit his lower lip and nodded. "Thanks man." He grunted.

Carol eventually showed up with Carl and Sophia.

They stayed at Lori and Ricks a while and Lori cooked for all of them. Carol and Sophia eventually left and Daryl followed them home. He asked if she wanted him to stay for a while, she told him he didn't have to, but if he wanted to he could. Of course he stayed.

"How'd things go with your brother today?" She asked.

Daryl grunted. "My brother is a dumbass."

"Something happen?" She asked

"Not really, just Merle being Merle. It's no big deal. He just heard about me getting locked up and wasn't too happy about it." He said evasively

"How'd he hear about that?" She said.

"Turns out Axel is staying with his sister right now and she lives out here. He went and visited Merle today."

Carol made a face. "My neighbors saw that…"

"Some of em, I guess. I'm sorry." He reached out to touch her arm.

"It's not your fault." She said. "Would have been a lot worse if you weren't here. Anyway, why is your brother so mad about you getting locked up? He's been locked up plenty before and hell, he's in jail now."

"I know, but I ain't never been arrested before. Guess he was hoping I'd be the first Dixon to never wind up there. It's no big deal though, once I told him why he was a little more understanding of it."

Daryl made sure to leave out everything else Merle said.

They talked a while longer, but it got late fast.

"If you need me to stay another night I can." He offered.

She thought about it for a minute, she wanted him to. She really did. But she knew if he stayed tonight he would be in the guest room and she would be in her room and all she would want is for him to be in there with her. Having him in the next room and not being able to snuggle up against him would be too hard.

"We'll be okay. Rick said Ed is gonna be locked up a few months at least, so I don't think we have anything to worry about."

"If you need anything, just call me. He said. Don't matter the time."

"I will. You coming over to eat tomorrow night?" She asked.

"Course." He replied.

He stared at her a minute, he didn't want to go, but he knew he had to. It wasn't like he could move in and watch them every second.

"Ya mind if I go tell Sophia goodnight?" He asked.

"Sure." She said smiling.

He knocked on her bedroom door.

"Hey." He said

"Hey Daryl." She said with a smile removing her headphones from her ears.

"I was bout to head out. I just wanted make sure you were alright to tell you goodnight."

She got up out of her bed and walked over to him. "I'm fine." She said and then she gave him a small hug and climbed back into bed. "Goodnight. We'll see you tomorrow after work, right?"

"Mhm." He replied

Carol sat and watched them from the edge of the hallway. A smile playing at her lips.

He would make some kid a damn good dad someday, she thought to herself. Too bad she hadn't lucked up with him as Sophia's dad.

She saw him turn around to come back her way and busied herself with her phone.

"Guess I'm heading out now then." He said, and looked down.

"Drive safe" She said, as she pulled him in for a hug too.

He wrapped his arms around her and held onto her tight, not wanting to let go, but not wanting to look like a dumbass either.

"I will." He said as he finally let her go.


	20. Chapter 20

**(So, the countdown to Merle returning is officially on. Within the next few chapters or so, he should be back home. Assuming I don't get side tracked and write some unplanned chapters. What are everyone's thoughts on Merle coming home? I'm curious to see what you think his homecoming is going to bring.)**

Carol returned to work on Monday, despite many protests from all of her friend. Daryl in particular had tried really hard to persuade her to take a few days off, but she would much rather be at work and keep busy versus being at home left alone to her thoughts. She loved her job and she was bound and determined Ed showing back up and his actions weren't going to screw her life up.

When she had arrived at work, she had been bombarded with questions about her face and what had happened. It was a bluish purple color now and someone would have to have been blind not to notice it. Ed had been taken to the very hospital she worked at to be treated after Daryl's beating, and a number of people she worked with had heard what happened. It embarrassed her, and she didn't want anyone's pity or condescending glares. She had to deal with all the questions and comments though, there was just no way around it.

She was in having her lunch in the breakroom when her friend Tara walked in to join her. The two usually had lunch together when they were on the same shift.

"Hey, how was Sophia's party?" Tara began.

Carol had been sitting in a chair with her back to Tara. When she turned around to answer her, Tara gasped.

"Oh my God!" "What happened to your face?" Her friend asked concerned

"I guess you haven't heard then." Carol said sadly.

"Ed?" Her friend questioned with anger and disappointment in her voice.

Carol nodded.

Tara walked over to her and leaned down to embrace her.

"I'm so sorry." "When did it happen?" "How?"

"The day of Sophia's party." Carol replied.

She relayed the story of Ed showing up and flipping out on her thinking she was with Daryl, and how Daryl had showed up and jumped on him. Then about having to go down to the station and Daryl and Ed ending up getting arrested. She also told her how Sophia had witnessed everything.

"At least Ed's locked up now." Tara said. "Maybe once everything goes to court they will leave him there for a long time."

"Maybe." Carol said, but her voice wasn't convincing or hopeful at all. "Things were just going so well, you know. I got my own place, Sophia is doing really great in school and she's adjusted so well, I have this job that I love, and then there's Daryl…."

Carol started to get a little teary eyed thinking about how she had gotten him into all of this mess. She felt so guilty. He had been so good to her, to Sophia. She hated that he had gotten locked up over her.

"I know." Tara said, as she reached out and rubbed her friends arm. "It's not fair he just showed back up and did this. I can't imagine how hard it is on you and Sophia."

"He's her father." Carol said. "I know this is bad, but I wish he wasn't. She won't ever get to have a relationship with him. I could never leave her alone with him. I used to worry she would resent me for that, you know? I thought she wouldn't understand and she would hate me for it one day, but she doesn't. She's terrified of him and she wants nothing to do with him. Daryl has spent more time with her and done more for her than her own Daddy ever did."

Tara listened to the way her friend talked about Daryl. She had heard her talking about him a lot over these last four months. She hadn't met him yet, but from what she heard, she thought he was a great man. She knew that he had helped her out with the house, that he ate with her frequently and that he spent a lot of time with Sophia. She thought he was perfect for her friend.

"Daryl sounds like a good guy." Tara said with a smile.

"He is." Carol agreed. "I'm so screwed, Tara". She said placing her head in her hands.

"What do you mean?" The other woman asked confused.

"After everything that happened Saturday he insisted on coming back to the house with me. He didn't think that I needed to be alone. He was going to sleep in the guest room, but he heard me crying. He came in my room, and he wound up sleeping with me."

Tara had been taking a sip of water as Carol was telling that story. She wasn't expecting to hear that and immediately spit it out everywhere.

"WHAT!" "THIS IS HUGE!" Tara screamed. "How was it?"

Carol blushed. She immediately realized how what she had just said sounded.

"Will you shut up before the entire hospital hears you?" Carol chuckled. "I didn't mean we had sex, silly. He heard me crying and came in to see if I was okay. I was crying. He put his arm around me and I just kind of curled up into him. We talked a while and he held me and we ended up falling asleep like that."

"AWWWW!" Tara said as her face lit up. "That's like the sweetest thing I ever heard. After telling me all of this and that picture you showed me it's almost enough to make me go straight and try for him.

Carol rolled her eyes at her friend.

"He's so sweet." You'd never think he had this soft side when you look at him. His voice is usually so gruff and he has this pouty scowl he wears. He usually has on that leather jacket. He just looks like this big badass. But he can also have the softest, most tender voice I've ever heard and when you get him to smile. It's just the most beautiful smile ever. I just, I think I'm in love with him, Tara."

"That's a good thing, Carol. Don't sound so sad about it. He seems like a good man. Don't hold yourself back because of the things Ed has done." 

"It's not about Ed." Carol said, sadly. "He isn't going to go for someone like me. I'm not his type. I couldn't be."

Daryl headed back to work on Monday, but he had Carol on his mind all day. He didn't want her to go back to work today. He wished she would stop being so hard headed and trying to be so strong. He thought she just needed a day to relax and process everything she had been through. He couldn't convince her of that though, so he would just have to let her go to work. He could swing by tonight and check on her when they had dinner. Although, he didn't plan on letting her cook tonight. He had told Rick he wanted to do something nice for her, so he was going to go get Sophia from Rick's when he got off work and they were going to make her dinner.

Daryl was about to head out when he heard someone calling his name. It was T-Dog.

"You got a second?" His boss had asked him.

"Sure." Daryl said.

"I didn't wanna say anything in front of everyone else, but I heard what happened this weekend."

Daryl looked down and nodded.

"I had to, man." Daryl said. He put his hands on Carol. I saw him do it."

"I know you're not a bad guy, Daryl. I figured as much. I just wanted to let you know, if you needed an advance on your paycheck or anything because of it that I'm here to help."

"Thanks." He said. "I'm good though, I got some money put up, so I should be able to cover what ever the fine is."

"If you ever need anything, just ask." T-Dog told him.

"I will, thanks". Daryl said.

T-Dog went to walk off, but stopped and turned around to face Daryl. "Can I ask you one more thing?"

"Yeah, what is it?" Daryl asked curiously.

"You and Carol?" "What's really going on between you two?"

"What do you mean?" Daryl said shifting nervously.

"You're almost always with her, you wouldn't pay Karen any attention at the bar that night and you just locked up for jumping on her ex-husband. Plus, a few months ago, I may have seen you go back to her house late one night when she was still staying with Rick. Then I saw you get in the car with her and leave in the morning."

Daryl kicked his foot back and forth. This was making him uncomfortable. He and T-Dog weren't that close. I mean, they worked together and occasionally hung out, but they didn't talk about his personal life or feelings. Then again, Daryl didn't talk about his feelings with anyone. Rick was his best guy friend, and he damn sure hadn't ever told him anything about his feelings towards Carol.

"The night you saw me leave, I just stayed because it was raining so hard. She didn't want me driving my bike in that weather. Didn't nothing happen." He shrugged. He could feel T-Dog's eyes on him. He wasn't satisfied with his evasive answer. "Look man, to be honest, I don't know what we are. She's my best friend. I care about her a lot, but I just wouldn't be no good for her. I ain't never had no girlfriend before. I wouldn't know what I was doing. Besides, she's got Sophia, and I wouldn't know a damn thing about how to handle no kid."

Daryl had no idea why he had just said all that. He wasn't one to talk about his feelings, but he didn't want to lie to T-Dog. If it wasn't for him giving him a shot he wouldn't have this job."

"You'd be a whole hell of a lot better for her than Ed was." T-Dog said.

Daryl shook his head. His mind was made up on the matter. He cared too damn much about her to let her get involved with him. He was sure he wasn't any good for her and that he'd only end up hurting her more than she had been.

"You best not ever tell no one what I just told you." Daryl said with a harsh tone. "I ain't never told anyone that shit before. I'd know where it came from."

"You're secrets safe with me." T-Dog said as he turned to walk off.

Daryl had gone to Rick's and picked Sophia up just like he had planned to do. The two of them went to the grocery store and picked out the ingredients to make homemade spaghetti. Of course, Daryl didn't use hamburger meat. He pulled some deer meat out of the freezer that he had given Carol a few months ago.

Daryl had told her he was going to be hanging out at Rick's until she got off work and that he could just bring Sophia by on his way. She had just texted him to let him know she was home and that they could head this way.

She unlocked the door and smelled food immediately.

"Surprise!" Sophia said, as she and Daryl appeared in the living room.

"What are you two doing here?" She asked confused. She hadn't been expecting this at all.

"We wanted to surprise you." Daryl said. "You're always cooking for us, so we decided to return the favor. After everything, I just thought you deserved a little break."

She walked up and gave her daughter a hug. Then she did the same to Daryl.

You two are the best." She said.


	21. Chapter 21

**(Thanks for the reviews. Here's the next chapter)**

The next 30 days had gone by without incident. Daryl had gone to court and the judged had reduced all of Daryl's charges and he ended up only having to pay a $300.00 fine. Ed had gone to court too and his sentence ended up being a lot harsher. The judge he got this time had actually come from a home with an abusive father, according to Rick. He threw the books at Ed and gave him the maximum five year sentence for a repeat offense of domestic violence. Daryl was more than happy that Carol and Sophia weren't going to have deal with him again, at least not for a long time.

Daryl was out with T-Dog and the crew remodeling a house. He heard his phone ringing and immediately pulled it out to see who was calling him. He froze when he saw that the caller ID said Sophia.

"I gotta take this" He said looking at T-Dog.

"Go ahead." His boss said.

"Sophia, what's wrong?" He said panicked. She hadn't ever called him at work before and he knew she wouldn't if it wasn't an emergency.

"It's my mom." He heard a voice filled with tears say. However, it wasn't Sophia's voice on the other end of the line.

"Carl?" Daryl questioned. "What's wrong? "What happened?"

"She was…She was just standing there talking…then she bent over and grabbed her stomach and started screaming…..Then she fell over and she isn't answering us and there's blood." He managed between sobs. "I can't get ahold of my dad or Shane, or Carol and Andrea. I didn't know who else to call. Dale's not home."

"Calm down, okay. Everything's gonna be alright. Now, I need you to listen to me." "Can you do that?"

"Uh huh." Carl said.

"Your mom, is she breathing?" Daryl asked hesitantly

"Yeah." Carl said.

"Okay, good." Now, is Sophia with you?"

"Yeah."

"Good, now get her to call 911 and have them come to the house. Get her to tell them exactly what you told me. I'm gonna stay on the phone with you and I'll be there in just a minute." "Can you do that for me?"

"Uh, huh." Carl managed between tears. "Daryl?"  
"Yeah, Carl?"

"My mom and the baby, are they gonna be okay?

Daryl paused for a moment, truthfully he didn't know. He had no idea what the hell was going on. How could he tell Carl that though? He was just a kid and he was scared to death.

"Everyone's gone be alright." Daryl said, although he wondered if the tone of his voice showed his uncertainty and fear.

Daryl explained what was going on to T-Dog and he told him to go and to let him know what all was going on. He said he would call Sasha and see if she could help track Rick down so he could know what was happening.

Daryl arrived at Lori's house before the paramedics got there. He immediately rushed inside. Once he was inside he saw Lori laying in the floor and noticed blood, lots of blood.

"Has she woken up any?" He asked Carl and Sophia

"She's been moaning some, but she hasn't really said anything." Sophia stated, she was crying too.

"The paramedics should be here soon. They'll take of her." "You alright?" He said looking at Carl.

Carl nodded, but Daryl wasn't so sure he was okay. The boy was shaking and tears were still flowing down his face.

Daryl walked over to Lori and knelt down beside. He took her hand in his and started talking to her.

"Lori, Loir, hey everything's okay. The paramedics, they're gone be here real soon. They're gone take care of you and the baby."

Lori moved head slightly and he opened her eyes a bit. "Daryl? She managed weakly.

She closed her eyes again before he could answer her and then he heard the sounds of sirens moving closer and closer. The paramedics came rushing to the door.

"What happened?" One of them asked Daryl.

"I, I don't know. I was at work and Carl called me. He said she hunched over and grabbed her stomach, then she passed out and started bleeding. It was just him and Sophia here with her, I rushed over here as soon as I could."  
"Are you the father?" The paramedic asked.

"No, I'm a family friend. Carl couldn't get in touch with his dad."

"Do you know how far along she is?"

"Umm, seven months or so, I think."

"Okay, were gonna transport her to the hospital, this is pretty serious. We've got to get her medical attention now. Do you know who her doctor was?"  
"I'm not sure of the name, but she was going to King county Medical Center for all her check-ups. Her best friend works as a nurse over there."

"Good, that's the closest hospital anyway. You can meet us over there and if you can get in touch with her husband that'd be great."

Daryl got Sophia and Carl to load up in his truck and the three of them made their way to the hospital. Once they reached the waiting room they were told that Lori was being assessed and that would someone would be with them as soon as they could. Daryl knew Carol was working at the other end of hospital and wondered if the receptionist might be able to alert her to what was going on.

"Ma'am?" Daryl said walking up to the receptionist.

How may I help you sir?" The young woman asked with a smile.

"Um, well I'm here because my friend's wife, Lori Grimes, was brought in. She's 7 months pregnant and she was bleeding and passed out. Anyway, Lori's best friends with Carol Peltier, she works here."

"Yeah, I know Carol." She said.

"Anyway, I just thought Carol should know what's going on. Besides, she was watching her daughter when this happened and she's here with me now, Lori's son too."

"I'll let her know right now." The woman said. "I'm sorry and I hope your friend and the baby are going to be okay."

"Me too." Daryl mumbled.

As soon as Carol head the news she came rushing over to the other end of the hospital. As a nurse, she knew how serious something like this could be for both Lori and the baby. She saw Daryl, Carl and Sophia and franticly headed towards them.

"Carl." She said in a sad tone as she ran up and gave him a hug.

Daryl filled her in on everything that unfolded. When he was done talking Carol sent Carl and Sophia to grab some drinks and snacks from the vending machine.

"Has anyone updated you?" She asked Daryl.

"No." He said. He saw the look in her eyes and he knew that whatever this was could be something bad. "What is it?"

"It could be a number of things." She said truthfully

"You think it's bad?" He asked. "Because I told Carl everything was gonna be okay. Everything's gotta be okay." His voice was cracking as he spoke.

"I hope it is." She said. Tears were filling her eyes now.

He pulled her in for a hug.

"Rick, he doesn't even know yet." Daryl said sadly. "I'd be going crazy if that was…." He stopped himself before finishing that sentence.

"Here Daryl." Carl said as he and Sophia walked up to the adults. They had just returned with sodas.

They broke apart from their embrace and Carol turned around and wiped her eyes. The four of them sat in the waiting room for ten more minutes before a doctor came to speak to them. Carol recognized the doctor immediately as Lori's OB/GYN. She knew him from around the hospital and was on a first name basis with him.

"Hi, I'm Dr. Williams." He said as he walked up to the four and extended his hand to Daryl.

"Nice to meet you." Daryl said.

Dr. Williams looked at the children and then back to Carol and Daryl.

"Hey, Carl, Hey Sophia." He said. "May I have a word with these two real quick?"

Carl looked unsure, but Sophia took his hand and led him away.

"Tyrese, is Lori okay?" Carol said frantically when the kids walked away.

"She lost a lot of blood and we had to do an emergency C-section. She suffered from placental abruption. The baby wasn't getting enough oxygen."

"Is she okay?" "Is the baby?" Daryl began.

"Her blood pressure dropped and she was in shock. We had to do a blood transfusion, but she is stabilized for now."

"And the baby?" Carol asked carefully.

"The baby was 31 weeks, so she's pretty premature. She wasn't breathing well on her own, but they have her on a ventilator for now. The next 24 to 48 hours will tell us a lot more."

"A little girl, she had a little girl?" Daryl said.

"Yes." Tyrese said. "She's very tiny, only 3.5 lbs. We will update you as we know more."

A minute after Tyrese walked away Rick and Shane came rushing through the doors.

"Lori, how's Lori?" Rick asked.

Carl and Sophia were standing behind him now and Shane was beside him.

"She had placental abruption. Carol said. The doctor said she lost a lot of blood and went into shock. They gave her some blood and she's stabilized.

"And the baby." He said, almost not wanting to know

"They did an emergency C-section. She wasn't getting enough oxygen, they had too. She couldn't breathe on her own, so they had to put her on a ventilator." Carol informed him with tears in her eyes.

Rick leaned up against the wall and started to cry


	22. Chapter 22

**(The Lori/baby arc may have seemed a bit out of left field, although I've had it planned for a while now. I was torn about having her accept Daryl after the fight between he and Ed or having her realize what kind of person he is after coming to help her too without a second thought. Maybe I should have left it until now, but what's been written has been written.)**

The doctor came in once Rick arrived and talked with him personally. Once Lori was awake he allowed Rick to go back and visit with her. Andrea eventually joined the others at the hospital, she had been in court earlier that day and hadn't found out about Lori and the baby until late this evening.

Rick emerged back in the waiting room to six anxious faces waiting to hear news

"Lori's awake. She talked to me a little bit. The doctor thinks she is going to be fine, but they're gonna keep her here a few days." "She…" Rick choked up a bit before being able to continue. "She's pretty upset about the baby. She just wants to hold her."

"Anything new concerning the baby." Andrea asked

Rick shook his head. "She's still on the ventilator. They've hooked her up to feeding tubes. I got to go back there and see her. She's so tiny. I've never seen anything so small…" He choked up again.

"She's gonna be fine." Daryl said. "She just got a rough start, but she'll be alright."

Rick looked at Daryl. He knew he was trying to be encouraging, but his world had been rocked today. When he left for work his wife had been fine and he still thought he had two more months before he would meet his new baby. Then Sasha shows up and tells them Lori was rushed to the hospital and that she had passed out and had been bleeding. He just didn't have that same hope that he did.

"Do you need anything, Rick?" Carol asked. "I can go grab some food or some clothes from the house for you."

"No, I'll be fine." "If you don't mind though, can Carl stay with you tonight?"

"Of course."

"No way!" "I'm not leaving." Carl protested.

"Carl, you have to. There isn't anywhere for you to sleep here. Besides, it's been a long day, you just need to go home and rest."

"That's bullshit!" Carl said loudly. "'She's my mom and that's my sister. I'm not leaving here without them."

"Carl." Shane said, sternly. "Not cool, man. Look I know you're upset, but your mom and the baby, they're in good hands. She wouldn't want you up here in this waiting room all night pacing around and worried." "Why don't you go home with Carol and you and Sophia can make get well cards for her and the baby?"

"Okay." He said defeated. "But only if someone will bring me back first thing tomorrow."

"I'll bring you by after I drop Sophia off at school." Carol assured him.

Carol took Sophia and Carl home with her and Shane and Andrea left shortly after. Each of them made Rick promise to update them as soon as he knew anything else. Daryl decided to hang around a bit longer.

"Daryl, I just wanted to say thanks for the way you handled things today. Keeping Carl calm and telling him what he needed to do and then going to the house to be with him and Lori until the ambulance got there. I can't ever thank you enough for that."

"You're welcome." He said. "I'm sorry it happened. I can't even imagine, ya know? I mean, I don't have kids or a wife or nothing, but if I did…" "I just hate you're going through this."

"Me too." Rick said sadly. "I just hate that she woke up and I had to tell her about the baby. She was so upset. She doesn't wanna name her, in case something happens. I've got this little girl and she doesn't even have a name. It feels wrong."

Daryl eventually went home too. He couldn't believe the day had gone to shit so quickly. When his phone was ringing at work he never would have guessed that it would have been Carl on the other end and Lori and the baby were in danger. He felt for Rick so much. He was a good husband and father. He knew this was tearing him up. He wished there was more that he could do. He hated that a baby who was going to be born into such a loving home had their life hanging in jeopardy. It just didn't seem right.

The next day on his lunch break he decided to stop by the hospital and check on things. When he got there he saw Carol in the waiting room. She was in her scrubs and must have had the same plan he did.

"Hey." He said quietly.

"Hi." She said with a smile.

"Anything new?"

"I haven't talked to Rick yet since this morning when I dropped Carl off. The two of them are in the room with Lori right now. There was no change with the baby as of this morning. She was still on the ventilator. They said Lori seemed to be doing okay though. Physically anyway, I can't imagine what she is feeling right now."

"Me either. He added. "You're a nurse, what do you think is gonna happen?

"That's a loaded question, Daryl. I know that these doctors and nurses are going to do all that they can, but there's a higher power than us that's in control. We can only do what we can and hope and pray."

He bit his lower lip. He had been hoping she would say that things were going to be fine. She had seen babies be born premature before, he was sure she had to of, and he knew if Rick asked she would probably say something along those lines to keep him calm. She was being blunt with him, honest. She always had been and he respected her for that, but right now he just wanted people to have hope.

She looked at him and saw that he was upset by what she had said.

"Daryl, I do have hope that she is going to be fine. I really do. It's just the nurse in me to say that. It's engrained in my brain to tell patient's family members the exact same thing. We can't ever say for sure in my line of work."

"I get it." He mumbled. "I just want things to be okay."

"I do too."

The two sat and waited in silence a bit. Finally Rick entered the waiting room. He seemed to be in better spirits than the night before.

"Sorry, guys, I know you've been here a minute. I was with Lori."

"It's alright." Daryl said. "How are things?"

"Lori's doing a lot better this morning. She was even sitting up. Her blood pressure is staying normal and they think she will go home in a day or two."

"And the baby?" Carol said.

"They took her off the ventilator for now and she is just on oxygen. They are also keeping her in an incubator to help keep her temperature regulated for now, but they said she is doing so much better today. Of course, they are gonna watch her close and make sure she does okay on just the oxygen, but it's a good sign for now."

Carol covered her mouth and let out a cry for joy.

"I'm so happy for you, Rick, this is amazing."

"Do you guys wanna see the baby?" Rick asked.

"Yeah." They both said in unison.

Rick led them back to the NICU where they were keeping little baby girl Grimes. Only two people were allowed back there at a time, so he gave permission for Daryl and Carol to go back.

They walked up to the incubator and Daryl couldn't believe how small the baby was. He wasn't used to being around babies period, but this one, she looked so fragile, so breakable. She was skinny and her skin was all wrinkly looking. He was sure if he held her she would almost fit into the palm of his hand. She was easily one of the most pitiful things he had ever seen. Yet, she was looking at them with her eyes wide open, almost like she was taking them in. Taking in this world around her and letting everyone know that she was going to be okay.

"'She's so tiny." Carol managed.

"I know. I ain't never seen nothing like it." Daryl said.

"Carol looked over to a nurse and decided to ask her a question.

"Can I open the incubator for a minute? I just want to touch her."

"Sure." The woman said. "We encourage skin to skin contact, it seems to help them. You can touch the fingers hands, feet or toes. Just be gentle."

The nurse opened the incubator and Carol slid her hand in there with the baby girl. She gently placed on of her fingers on the baby's tiny hand. She looked at her and smiled. Rick and Lori's baby girl was looking at her and in that moment she had the same hope that she was going to be fine. She looked up noticed Daryl watching her and the baby intently.

"Do you want to touch her hand?" She asked

He shrugged. He wanted to, but she was so tiny and he was scared he was going to hurt her.

"It's okay." She assured him. It's good for her. Besides, you helped save her and her mommy. She deserves to get to know you."

He went and washed up and returned to the incubator. He very slowly and carefully slid his hand into it the incubator and near her hand. When he touched her hand she moved a little bit and he jumped.

"It's okay. You didn't break her." Carol joked.

The baby was eying Daryl closely. Almost like she knew him.

"Hey there." He said softly. "I'm Daryl. I know you ain't got no name yet, but I'm gonna call you little ass kicker."

Carol couldn't help but let out a laugh. Only Daryl would name a premature baby little ass kicker. She sat there amazed at him. He was being so kind, so gentle. Sitting here talking to this baby, who she was almost sure might not be alive right now if he hadn't of answered Carl's phone call and rushed over. She saw the baby move a bit as he slowly talked to her.

"Yeah, you like that name?" He said. "You like that, little ass kicker?"


	23. Chapter 23

**(To: An Amber Pen, my heart melted as well on the show when Daryl was holding little ass kicker and I'm almost sure my ovaries exploded into a million pieces as well. I most definitely wanted to incorporate some type of sweet Daryl/baby moment into the story. A note to all my readers, I'm not a doctor or a nurse. Fair warning here, whatever I say medically concerning the baby and health or progress is all going to be from my pretty little head. It may not be relatable to the real world, but just work with me for the sake of the story.)**

A little overtwo weeks had gone by since Lori and the baby had been admitted to the hospital. Lori ended up coming home after spending three days there, but the baby had to stay a bit longer. She was doing well, getting stronger every day. She did well on the oxygen and didn't have to be placed back on the ventilator, but it took about a week for her to get the whole eating and maintaining her temperature thing down. She did though, and by the time she had been in the hospital for 14 days she weighed four pounds, was eating on her own and could maintain her body temperature. The doctors were all amazed at her progress. She met all the requirements to be discharged and they allowed her to go home. They ended up naming her Judith. It was a name that they let Carl choose from one of his favorite teachers. Everyone gave Rick, Lori and Carl some time to settle in with the new baby, but tonight their closest friends were gathering to come see the new addition.

Daryl, Carol, Sophia, Maggie, Glenn, Shane and Andrea were all at the Grimes home for the occasion.

"Oh my goodness!" Maggie squealed. "She's so tiny. She is just the most amazing thing I've ever seen." This was the first time that Maggie and Glenn had been able to see the baby and Maggie was in awe.

"Isn't she though." Lori beamed. "I can't believe how lucky we are. She had her daughter in her arms and was looking down at her smiling.

"How's it feel to be a big brother, Carl?" Glenn asked"

"Pretty cool." Carl said. "Did you know Daryl named her little ass kicker?"

The adults all looked around. They wanted to laugh, but they weren't sure what Lori and Rick were going to say about their young son cussing.

"Carl, what'd I tell you about cussing? Shane finally spoke up.

"Its okay, Shane." Lori said. "Normally, I don't condone children speaking like that, but I like her honorary name. It fits her. Just don't make it a habit saying that name," She said giving her son a very serious look.

Carl nodded at his mom and smiled.

"Lori's right." Rick agreed. Little ass kicker definitely fits her. It's amazing she's here and she's home with us now."

"Daryl," Lori began choking up. "We can't ever thank you enough for rushing over here and for being there for Carl. I just don't know what would of…. Just thank you."

She kept her eyes on him the whole time she was talking and he could hear her voice cracking and he saw the tears welling up in her eyes. He felt uncomfortable, he wasn't used to being praised often. Hell, Carol was probably the first person who ever really praised him for anything. He also wasn't used to people displaying emotion publically He felt everyone in the room looking at him and suddenly he realized Carol had placed her hand on his leg in support. He felt immensely uncomfortable. He just wanted the attention away from him.

"It's nothing. "He said shrugging it off. "I'm glad she's okay too. I'mma grab a beer. Anyone want one?" He said as he headed for the kitchen."

Everyone looked at him strangely and then looked to Carol to see if she had some sort of explanation for abrupt exit.

"He doesn't take compliments too well, I'll go get him." She said as she followed after him towards the kitchen.

"You alright?" She asked as she leaned against the doorway of the kitchen.

He was bent down fumbling for a beer in the bottom of the refrigerator.

"I'm fine." He said rather quickly

"I know you, Daryl, and I know you don't like people saying good things about you. I've been trying to tell you since I met you that you're a good man. I've always known you were. Now everyone else is getting to see that too. You probably helped saved Lori and baby Judith's life. She won't ever forget that and neither will Rick. Let them brag on you, let everyone be proud of you. You're something to be proud of."

"Stop." He said lowly. "I ain't nothing to be proud of. You don't know me, not really. I've done things. Bad things, before I met you or any of the others."

"Like what?" She asked curiously.

"Just stuff and thangs." He said evasively as he shrugged his shoulders and stood up. He twisted the top off of the beer and took a long chug. He averted his eyes from her. He didn't think staying on the phone with Carl and coming to check on Lori was that big of a deal. Anyone else would have done it and didn't make him a special person. Merle was coming home soon and the reality was setting in with him. He and Merle were one of the same and he didn't really belong here, not truly. As much as he cared about Rick and his family or Sophia Carol (and that was honestly probably more than he had ever cared about anything) the words that Merle had uttered to him had been haunting him lately. He was sure if they knew the kinds of things he had done before they wouldn't want him around.

"I find it hard to believe that anything you've done was ever that bad, Daryl." She said softly as she moved closer to him. And you're wrong, I do know you. Maybe I don't know where you were at one point, but I know who you are now. That's all that matters."

She moved closer to him and he refused to look at her. Instead he kept his eyes fixed on the floor. She gently placed her hand on his face and moved it so she was facing him.

"I don't know what's going on with you today, but whatever it is, I'm here if you wanna talk.

He looked her in the eyes and in that moment he wanted to tell her everything. He wanted to tell her every bad thing he had ever done and beg her to still think the same of him, he wanted to tell her he thought that she had the prettiest eyes he had ever seen and that he was pretty sure he was in love with her, then he wanted to take her and pull her close and kiss her. But he didn't and he couldn't. He wouldn't ever risk hurting her. He loved her too much for that. So instead, he just looked at her and nodded.

"Okay," She said, letting the matter go. "Well, let's go back in there before they get worried and come looking. Besides, I still haven't gotten to go hold little ass kicker yet." She extended her hand out to his, urging him to come with her.

He took her hand in his and she gave his a light squeeze and gave a slight smile for the victory she had just won.

They returned to the living room where everyone else was. She let go of his hand before they got in front of everyone else. She figured he would just become uncomfortable again if someone saw that. When she had let go of his hand he had looked at her and give her a half smile.

Everyone sat and talked and took turns holding baby Judith. Carol noticed that Sophia seemed to be in awe of her. She hadn't ever really been around babies before either, but she seemed to already love this one. Which was a good thing, because she knew Sophia would end up spending a lot of time with Judith.

Carol had been holding the baby for a while now and Daryl was the only person in the room who hadn't yet. They were sitting closely beside one another on Rick and Lori's sectional. She could feel his eyes on her as she was holding Sophia.

"Do you wanna hold her?" She asked, looking up at him.

"Oh, uh, I don't know. I ain't never really held a baby before…" He said nervously.

"It'll be fine." Rick said encouraging him. "I had never held a baby before Carl, but it's really easy." 

"I don't know…" Daryl insisted.

Before he could protest anymore Carol shifted and changed positions with the baby. She leaned forward and moved her towards him.

"Hold out your arms." She said.

He looked at her, almost as if he was slightly mad she was making him do this, but he complied. She knew he had to hold her eventually and now was as good of a time as any.

"Good." She said. "Now, you just have to make sure you support her head."

He held the tiny little baby in his massive arms. She somehow seemed even smaller to him now. He was so nervous and scared he was going to drop her or hurt her. He was practically shaking up until the point Carol placed her in his arms. Now that she was in his arms, he wasn't as scared though. She was sleeping peacefully, like she hadn't even noticed being moved. He looked down at her and grunted.

"Hey there, little ass kicker." He said.

+++++++  
Daryl had been holding her for about ten minutes now and Carol, Maggie and Andrea excused themselves to the kitchen. They had all brought food tonight so Lori and Rick didn't have to worry about cooking and were getting everything warmed up and ready to eat.

"Daryl holding baby Judith is like the sweetest thing ever!" Maggie said with a huge grin.

"I know." Andrea agreed. "I'm pretty sure my ovaries almost exploded."

Carol his her friend with a dish towel.

"Stop it." She hissed with a laugh.

"Relax, he's still all yours. Which, by the way, are you finally going to go jump him now?" Andrea joked.

Carol went and looked around the corner. Daryl was still holding Judith. He looked fairly comfortable with her now, almost as if it was a natural thing for him to be holding a tiny infant.

"I wish." She mumbled. "If I did I'd probably end up pregnant too, Andrea's right. I'm pretty sure I just started ovulating from looking at that.

Everyone headed out before it got too late, but Rick asked Daryl to hang around for a minute.

"I'm sorry if we made you uncomfortable earlier." Rick said. "We're just really grateful you were there and that everything is fine."

"Nah, man. We're good. I just had some shit on my mind then too."

"So, it's all good now?" Rick questioned.

"Yeah." Daryl nodded with a sideways grin. "All good now."


	24. Chapter 24

**(Thanks for the reviews. We are getting extremely close to a chapter I have long been waiting to write. I** **hope it translates into words as well as it translates in my head. Sometimes the chapters I've been most ready to write end up being the hardest to write. Well, here's the next one.)**

It was a Tuesday and it was a day Daryl had both dreaded with everything in him and one he looked forward to all at the same time. Merle was coming home today, and while he had missed his brother terribly, he was sure that the life he had come to know over these last six months was about to come under fire. Merle had all but said that the last time he visited him two months ago. His simple life of leaving work and hanging out at Carol's most nights or going to Rick's wasn't going to be as easy as it once was. He was somehow going to have to find a way to balance time with his brother into this equation now. And if there was one thing his older brother didn't do well, it was share.

He decided to stop by Carol's on the way to pick Merle up. She was off work today and he had taken the day off too. He explained to T-Dog about his older brother being released today and how he was the only one that could go get him. T-Dog was always understanding about things if he ever needed time off or to leave early. He knew Daryl didn't fuck around and only asked when he seriously needed to.

Daryl arrived at Carol's and knocked on the door. He hadn't told her he was coming by and was hoping she wasn't asleep. Her car was there, so he assume she hadn't gone anywhere. Thankfully, it didn't take her long to come to the door.

"Hey Daryl as she answered the door in leggings and a baggy t-shirt. "I didn't know you were gonna stop by. I've just been laying around all morning. Aren't you supposed to be picking your brother up today?

"Yeah." He said, as he stood in front of her nervously chewing on his thumb.

"Is everything okay?" She asked concerned

He let out a sigh. "I don't know."

"What's wrong?" She asked as she motioned for him to come in.

"I just, I wanted to stop by and tell you I might not be around for a few days. I didn't want you to take it personal or nothing and think it's because I don't wanna be here."

"I understand. You haven't seen your brother in a while. I know you've got a lot to catch up on."

"Yeah, I guess we do. It's crazy, ya know?"

"What is?"

"It's just, for as long as I can remember I've never had a life that didn't involve Merle. I mean he was locked up before, but I never really had friends of my own when he was gone. None worth a shit anyway. Now, I got a job of my own, a whole different life outside of him. It's gonna be different adding him into the mix. I got a feeling he's gonna feel…Daryl paused looking for the right words to use here…left out." He finally settled on that instead of my brother doesn't think I belong here with you people and that I have to quit playing house with you now.

She paused for a moment. She looked to be deep in thought.

"Why don't you invite him over here?" She finally mused.

"Excuse me?" He said, clearly taken aback.

"Invite your brother here, to dinner." She said.

"I heard ya the first time." He said. "I just don't think that's a good idea."

"Why?"

"For one he is just getting out of jail and second he does drugs. You don't want nobody like that around here." He said, lowly.

"Is he dangerous?" "Would he hurt me?" She asked.

"He ain't dangerous." Daryl said matter of factly. Merle could be an asshole and he never knew when to keep his mouth shut, but didn't think he was a physical threat to Carol. "He can be a dick, though."

"Well, I lived with an asshole who hit me for 13 years, I think I can handle your brother's smart ass remarks for one night." She added.

The mention of Ed and hitting her immediately made him angry, but he decided to push that out. He was in prison now and would be for a while.

"What about the drugs?" He asked.

"Don't let him bring drugs here and don't let him come over high." She said, as if it was the most logical thing ever.

"I don't know if I want him around Sophia." Daryl said.

Carol raised her eyebrows at him. Shouldn't she be the one saying something like that?

"Well, I wasn't exactly planning on her being here if he came. No offense." She said. I can let her stay at Rick and Lori's while he is here. She won't even ask questions if it means she gets to go spend time with Judith.

"Why you doing this? He asked.

"Because, he's your brother. You love him and I am eventually going to have to be around him if it means I'm gonna see you less if I don't."

"When this doesn't end well, remember that I tried to warn you." He told her with a serious face. Then he looked up at her and his expression changed. "Thank you for wanting to do this though, you don't have to."

He said it in his soft, tender voice and she knew it meant a lot to him that she wanted to meet his brother and do something nice for him.

He left Carol's and headed for the jail to pick Merle up when he arrived to get him his brother had a smug look on his face.

"I was starting to wonder if you'd even come back for old Merle. Figured you might be too with that little lady and your new friends."

"Shut up." Daryl said.

Merle let out a small laugh. He was already getting under his skin about this. Yeah, he was gonna have some fun giving him hell about all this.

The two got in the truck and headed back for the small house their father once lived in.

"Ya know what I missed most while I was gone?" Merle said aloud.

"Knowing you?" "Jack Daniels and cheap fucks." Daryl said as he laughed a little.

"You're damn right, baby brother. And there I was worried you'd forgotten how I think. So listen, are I need a lot of both of those things." "So, what do ya say?" "Let's hit up a bar tonight and find me some of both."

"I can't." Daryl said.

"Oh, come on." Merle whined. "Just cause you putting it to that little house wife in the suburbs don't mean you can't come out and have a little fun."

"She ain't nobody's wife and I ain't putting nothing to her." Daryl grumbled. "I gotta work tomorrow, dumbass. I already took today off so I could pick you up. I can't call in tomorrow hungover and I can't stay up all night babysitting your drunk ass."

"Ain't never stopped you before." Merle said resentfully.

"I told ya, I make good money with T-Dog and he's a good boss. I ain't screwing this up."

"Fine." Merle said as turned his head away from his brother and looked out the window with a pouty look on his face.

When the two finally arrived back at the house Merle was surprised to see it looked a lot different than it had when the two had first returned after their old man had died 7 months ago. Instead of being cluttered and dirty, it was relatively clean. Especially for a man living here by himself. He also noticed there were some pictures sitting around on shelves. As far as he knew, there weren't any pictures sitting there before he left.

"Home sweet home. Merle grumbled. He took a step towards the picture he saw on the shelf. It was in a silver frame and it said friends on the bottom. He looked at it closely. He saw a group of people gathered around a table. There were three other men besides Daryl. One was older, Merle guessed in his sixties. There were three women there as well. One with short hair who was sitting awfully close to Daryl. She had a young blond girl beside and then there was also a young brown headed boy in the photo beside the young girl.

"What the hell is this?" Merle asked his brother as he help up the photo.

Daryl walked over and snatched it away from him and put it back on the shelf.

"There my friends. I had Thanksgiving with em this year. They wanted to take a picture. Carol put in the frame and gave it to me on Christmas.."

"Carol?" Merle said. "That's the little lady whose husband you beat up ain't it?"

"Yeah." Daryl said.

"She the one all close to you and stuff in the picture?"

"Mhm."

"She's cute." Merle said. "So, if you ain't putting it to her and she ain't married, can I give it a try?" Merle said with a smirk

Daryl looked at his older brother like he could kill him right then.

"Hell no. She wouldn't go for your dumbass an anyway."

"Just because you don't know what to do with her doesn't mean I won't." Merle chirped.

"I ain't playing Merle. Don't even try it." Daryl said in a harsh tone.

"Oh, I'm just busting your balls, baby brother. Don't get your panties in a bunch." Merle said. He lifted the picture up again and eyed it. "So, that her little girl? He asked.

"Yeah."

Then Daryl went and pointed out who everyone else in the picture was. Needless to say Merle wasn't thrilled that he was hanging out with two cops and that he was having Thanksgiving and Christmas dinners with them. It was all too weird. They didn't even have Thanksgiving dinners ever, unless you count those frozen turkey, mashed potato and pea plates you can buy and heat up.

"Boy, you done gone and lost your mind. It's a good thing I'm home now. Anyway, I'm bout to go get a shower. It's gone be nice not to have a bunch of other dudes starting at my dick for once."

Daryl snorted. This was going to fun, he thought. He picked the picture up and glanced at it. That had been the first real Thanksgiving meal he had ever had. He didn't want to go at first, it seemed too intimate and weird. Rick had begged him to come for a week straight and Carol finally talked him into it. Everyone had brought food, except for him. He volunteered to bring the drinks. He wasn't quite sure what people made for these kinds of gatherings. He was sure squirrel wasn't one of them though.

 _***Flashback***_

 _Daryl awkwardly made his way into Rick's with two jugs of tea in his hands. Rick told him to go into the kitchen and take them to Carol who was setting things up._

" _Hey" He said nervously._

" _Hey" She said with a smile. "I'm glad to see you here. I was half-way worried you wouldn't show."_

" _Said I was coming didn't I?" "Don't doubt me."_

 _She smiled at him again. She looked really happy that he showed up._

" _Here I'll take those." She said as she reached to grab the tea jugs from her._

 _He went to hand them to her, but he fumbled a little and let go before she grabbed one. The tea jug fell and his the ground._

 _Good job dumbass, he thought to himself._

 _She laughed. "Well, at least it was plastic." She reached down and picked it up off the kitchen floor. "Why don't you just go sit that one over there?" She said as she pointed towards the counter._


	25. Chapter 25

**(Thank you for all the reviews. I love writing this story. I know I have a lot of spelling and grammar errors. I'm working on that, but please try and look past them. I have fun writing and I hope that some of you enjoy it.)**

Once Merle got out of the shower he returned to the living room where had been previously. He was no longer there, however. Merle quickly checked the two bedrooms that were in the house and didn't see him there either. He stepped out the front door and saw his baby brother sitting on the porch, smoking a cigarette.

"You got another one?" Merle asked.

Daryl reached into his pocket and pulled out the pack. He flipped it open and held it out towards Merle.

"You're getting a little low there." Merle pointed out. He noticed Daryl only had 3 cigarettes left in the pack.

"Don't really smoke as much as I used to." Daryl said

"You used to smoke like a damn chimney." "What changed?"

"I don't know." Daryl said. "I just don't need feel like I need one as much most days."

"That right?" Merle asked questioningly.

Daryl didn't answer his brother. He didn't really have one to give him.

"Listen." Daryl said changing the subject. "Carol wanted me to ask if you wanted to come to her house with me one night after you get settled back in and have supper with us. She figured you might want a home cooked meal or some shit." Daryl said, almost regretfully as he ran his hands through his hair.

Merle was about to protest. Why the hell would he want to go to the suburbs and have some type of family supper with some woman his little brother was most likely fucking around with? Then he remembered, this was the girl he got locked up over, the girl he was having holiday meals with, the girl's house he heard he spent a lot of his spare time at. Merle was actually quite interested in meeting this woman and finding out what was so damn special about her that his brother stuck up her ass.

"That sounds like a great idea." Darylina. Merle said with a smile.

Daryl looked up and eyed his brother suspiciously. He had assumed it would take a lot more convincing than this to actually get him to agree to go.

"You actually wanna go?

"Hell yeah. I can't remember the last time I had a proper meal. How soon can we go?"

"I don't know. I'll text her and ask her." Daryl said.

"Text her?" Damn brother, you really have changed.

Daryl rolled his eyes. Then he flicked his cigarette in the yard and stood up.

"I think I'mma go hunting." "You wanna come?"

Merle took one last long drag off of his cigarette and threw it in the yard.

"Now you're speaking my language again." He said as he stood up too.

When the brothers returned from their hunt they brought back a few rabbits and squirrels. They took "the time to skin and clean them and then placed them in the fridge.

"I can't wait to make squirrel stew." Merle said. "I swear, I got so sick of that damn jail food."

Daryl let out a little laugh. He had no idea what jail food tasted like, but if was anything like the food they fed you in school, he hated to think about eating it every day for the last six months and he was sure his brother was really ready for a good meal.

"Carol texted me back." He said as he looked at Merle. "She said if we wanted to we could come by this evening, but if you wanna wait a few days to get settled in just for me to let her know."

"Settled in?" "If we wait for that I won't ever go. I won't ever be settled in here. Merle said.

"Well, we gone go tonight or not?"

"Tell your little lady friend we will be there."

Daryl would be lying if he said that this didn't make him nervous as hell. He had no idea how Merle was going to act. You could never really guess what he would say or do.

"Don't be a dick." Daryl warned his brother as they approached the door.

Merle made a face at his brother. "When have I ever done that?"

Daryl knocked on the door and it didn't take long for Carol to answer.

She opened it and saw Merle for the first time. He was tall and muscular like Daryl. His chest and arms were even slightly larger than his younger brothers. He also wore that badass look and he was wearing a mischievous grin on his face. She didn't get that same shy, awkward vibe from him that Daryl carried. He seemed to carry more, what was it confidence, or maybe arrogance was a better word. She couldn't tell yet.

"Hey Merle, I'm Carol." She said, as she extended her hand and introduced herself.

Merle looked at his brother, flashing that mischievous grin at him. He took Carol's hand in his for the introductory hand shake.

"Hello, Darlin." He said. "It sure is nice to meet you. Ya know, my brother didn't mention what a pretty little thing you are?" He met Daryl's eyes once he finished the sentence.

Daryl looked as his brother and scowled.

Carol raised her eyebrows at Merle, but didn't say anything. She noticed the look Daryl was giving him and she almost thought Merle intentionally said it to try and piss Daryl off.

"Well, thanks." She said. "Anyway, come on in. I made plenty of food."

"She led them through the living room and towards the kitchen. Daryl was following right behind her, but Merle was hanging back a little farther. He was taking in the scenery of the house. He noticed pictures of that blond headed little girl hanging everywhere. They were from various ages of course. He also noticed pictures of some of the people that were in the Thanksgiving photo Daryl had at home. Then a certain photo sitting on a lamp stand caught his eye. It was one of his baby brother sitting beside her. She was holding tiny baby, looking down at it smiling. His brother had his head turned towards her and he wore a small smile on his face. _What the fuck?_ Merle thought to himself.

They entered the dining room that was situated right beside the kitchen. She gestured for them to have a seat.

"Food smells real good." Merle said genuinely.

"Thanks, I hope you'll like it. I told Daryl I knew it'd been a while since you had a home cooked meal. I thought you could use one."

"It's been a while since I had a lot of things." Merle mused.

Daryl eyed his brother again, but didn't say anything.

"I'm gonna go get everything from the kitchen and bring it in here." She said.

"I'll help you." Daryl volunteered and followed after her.

The duo returned from the kitchen. Carol had cooked fried chicken, mashed potatoes, macaroni and cheese and biscuits.

"You practically got your own little KFC in that kitchen, huh?" Merle joked.

Carol smiled. "My food's way better than KFC, isn't that right Daryl."

"Carol can cook like hell." His baby brother said in agreeance.

"You're little girl joining us?" Merle asked curiously

"No, she's over at Rick and Lori's. She wanted to go play with Carl and help with their new baby." Carol said.

Merle realized that must be the baby she was holding in that picture his brother was starring so damn hard at her in.

The three of them sat and talked a while without incident. Carol asked him about himself and his life. He had pretty much the same story as Daryl did. He had dropped out of high school, worked mostly in construction or mechanic type jobs for the majority of his life. He had done a brief stint in the army for about 3 years, but didn't re-enlist. He came back home and get Daryl when he finished his stint and two had been together ever since. Except for the few stints that Merle had spent in jail. From what he told her it was always for fighting or drugs. She seemed to appreciate the honesty and forthrightness he put up about it.

She had finished questioning him and Merle decided that he had some questions of his own for her.

"So, Carol?" He asked, as he looked her dead in the eye. "How long has my baby brother been putting it to ya?"

Daryl had been taking a sip of tea when Merle fist started talking. When he heard the words that left his brothers mouth he almost choked on the beverage.

Carol looked over at Daryl when he started making choking noises. His face was bright red.

Merle was wearing a huge grin as he stared at the two of them waiting for an answer.

"He was always the shy one." Merle said with a laugh. "So you gonna answer my question?"

She could only think of two reasons that Merle had asked her that question The first one was that he really did think that she and Daryl were together and the second was that he was trying his hardest to make Daryl's night as awkward and uncomfortable as possible. She was strongly leaning towards the latter.

"About six months now." She answered with a straight face. Then she took a bite of food from her plate.

Daryl stared at her. His mouth wide open now. He had turned even redder than he was before it that was even possible. He wanted to sink down in his chair and disappear.

Merle let out a laugh. He wasn't sure if the woman was being serious or if she was playing along and fucking right back with him. His brother had vehemently denied that anything had gone on between the two. He had no idea why he would have done that if they had something going on. She wasn't an ugly woman, she had a real pretty face. She wasn't Merles type. She seemed too respectable. Hell, he honestly thought was too respectable for Daryl. Dixon's don't make boyfriends. They just aren't cut out for it.

"And here I was thinking my brother wouldn't know what to do with a pussy." Merle spat back at her. "It's a shame he got to ya first." Merle said giving her a wink.

"Stop." Daryl finally said. Clearly annoyed.

"He knows what to do." Carol said with a wink, despite Daryl's previous plea for them to cut it out.

Daryl locked eyes with her. He looked pitiful and she knew they were making him miserable. She decided she quit the back and forth with Merle.

They finished eating and changed the subject from the make believe sex life between the two and Daryl was grateful. He couldn't believe Carol was going back and forth like that with his brother. He also wondered what his brother was gonna say when they got home.

Once they finished eating Daryl helped her clear the table and take the dished to the sink. Merle watched them out of the corner of his eye and saw them talking. Carol said something to him that Merle couldn't hear what it was. Daryl playfully shoved her and laughed. Maybe the two really were screwing around.

When his brother and Carol returned to the kitchen he asked where the restroom was and wanted to borrow Daryl's phone. He was going to call Axel and see if he would hit up a bar with him. After being locked up so long he wanted nothing more than to go get wasted and find a piece of ass. He knew Daryl wouldn't join him, but didn't really care right now. He took the phone and headed to the restroom. He was about to dial the number when he noticed the background on Daryl's phone. It was a picture of Carol covered in paint, reaching up towards Daryl and looking him. His brother looking down at her with a small grin. The same grin he wore in that picture earlier. Then Merle suddenly realized how his brother wore that same grin many times tonight. Come to think of it, he had kept his eyes on her most of the night. He jumped up to help her do everything and followed her around like a little damn puppy.

"I'll be damned." Merle grumbled. "My baby brother's in love."


	26. Chapter 26

**(As much as I love TWD, this season is bumming me out. I'm constantly on edge about my favorite characters and just have genuinely bad feeling about this season. Here's to hoping that I'm wrong. Plus, I am steady losing hope that these two will ever be a couple on the show. I am going to try and write another chapter now to give myself some therapy.)**

Merle was able to get in touch with Axel and he was more than happy to agree to go bar hoping with him. Axel was going to come swing by and get Merle in a few minutes.

"I got in touch with Axel." Merle announced as he entered the living room where Carol and Daryl were now sitting.

"He going with you?" Daryl asked.

"Yeah, he should be here in a minute. You sure you don't wanna come, little brother?"

"Told ya, I can't." Daryl reminded his older brother.

"Right, right. You got work tomorrow. Oh, here's your phone. Nice background." Merle said as held his hand out to give his little brother the phone back.

Daryl took the phone quickly and shoved it into his pocket. He noticed his older brother hadn't taken his eyes off of him.

"How you getting home?" Daryl asked hoping to change the subject.

"I think we're gonna get a hotel for the night. Axel said there is one within walking distance of the bar downtown. No sense in me going and getting locked up soon as I get out. Besides, I think I need to stick around and keep my eye on things." Merle said in a serious tone.

"Don't piss all that money away I gave you from selling our old man's scrap metal on booze and cheap women." Daryl warned him. "It needs to last ya until ya find a job."

"Yeah, Yeah." Merle said.

Just then they heard a horn beep and Carol looked out the window. She noticed a truck waiting by the curb and knew it had to be Axel.

"Well, it was nice meeting you Merle. Maybe we can do this again sometime."

"Yeah, maybe." He said.

Merle left and Daryl decided to hang around for a minute.

"I'm uh, well I'm sorry about the things my brother said earlier." He said nervously.

"Don't be." She said. "I was having fun with it."

"Yeah, I noticed." He said letting out a nervous laugh.

She smiled at him. He was clearly getting uncomfortable and embarrassed again. It was kind of cute.

"You know?" "The way you talked about your brother, I was actually expecting a lot worse. He isn't so bad." Carol said, truthfully.

"You just caught him on a good night. He coulda been a lot worse."

"Maybe." She said.

"Well, I better get going. Plus, you still gotta get Sophia from Rick's."

"Yeah, I do. Although I think she'd rather stay there with Judith. I'm pretty sure if she had her way she'd end up with a little brother or sister." She joked.

He let out a small laugh. "Thanks again for tonight." He said.

"Anytime. He's your brother. He's welcome here too."

"Well, goodnight." He said as he turned to leave.

"Daryl?"

"Yeah?"

"You gonna be by anymore this week or are you going to spend the week with Merle?"

"I'm gonna hang out with Merle some, but I still got time for you and Sophia too."

Merle and Axel were at the bar downtown, the same one Daryl had gone to with T-dog a few months ago. The two had thrown back several shots by this point. There weren't many people in the bar, it was a Tuesday night after all. Merle hadn't seen a single woman yet. _What shitty luck._ He thought to himself. Without a lady to help keep his mind occupied, he found himself thinking back to his little brother and that little lady he was in love with. He honestly didn't know what was actually going on between them. Were they screwing, were they friends, were they together? Daryl obviously wasn't going to say anything about it. She had flat out told Merle when he asked they'd been screwing around the last 6 months. However, he didn't have any clue if it was actually true or not. He wondered what Axel knew?

"Hey Axel, what do ya know about that little lady my brother hangs out with all the time?"

"Not much. I know she was married to that guy your brother beat the hell out of for hitting her. I know she has a daughter. I asked her out once, she shot me down." Axel replied, as he downed the cup of beer that was just placed in front of him.

"Oh really?" Merle said with a laugh. "Why you think she did that?"

"Probably because I told her I thought she was a lesbian."

Merle shook his head. "Sure got a way with words, dontcha?"

"She had short hair and all. I don't know. I just kinda thought she mighta been." He shrugged.

"Dumbass." Merle said. "Anyway, you said my brother's always over there, are they together?"

"I don't know, Merle. I don't exactly hang out with Daryl. He's always over at her house from what I can tell or hanging out with that cop that lives near T-Dog."

"You live right over there by em. You ain't never seen em do no couple shit?"

"No, not really. I mean, he takes up time with her kid. I guess that's something you do when you're dating someone. But I haven't seen em kiss or nothing. Hell, it ain't like I sit out the fucking window and watch em."

"He spends time with her kid?" Merle said with an almost disgusted look on his face.

"Yeah, I've seen him kicking a soccer ball around with her and that cop's son a few times."

"Daryl?" "Kicking a fucking soccer ball around!" "What the hell!" Merle yelled.

"What are you so worried about it for anyway?" What's is matter?"

"No reason." Merle said. He knew Axel wouldn't understand.

Merle looked up and saw a woman enter the bar. She wasn't hot or anything, but it had been a long six months and she would do. He got up from his seat and decided for the moment he wasn't worried about who his little brother was or wasn't interested in. He had to take care of himself first.

Daryl stopped by Rick's house on his way home from work. The police station had been raffling off a gun to raise money for a family who lost their house in a fire. Daryl had bought some of the raffle tickets and actually ended up winning the gun. He was going to pick it up from Rick today.

"Hey Daryl." Lori said as she answered the door. She was holding baby Judith in her arms. "Rick's upstairs getting a shower. He should be out in a minute. Come on in."

As he stepped inside the house he heard a ding.

"That's my time timer. I've gotta take the casserole out of the over." "Would you mind holding Judith for a second?"

"No problem." He said. She moved and placed the baby in his arms. He gently took her and moved towards the couch. Even though she was a month old and had put on some weight, she was still so tiny and fragile looking. "Hey little ass kicker."

Lori took the casserole out of the oven and headed back to the living room to get Judith. She paused for a minute before letting Daryl know she was in the room. He was looking down at Judith, speaking softly to her. She wouldn't have ever guessed Daryl would be so good with babies, or kids for that matter. He was great with Sophia and Carl too. She initially didn't want him and Carol together at all, these days she was more than ready for her friend to finally tell her something had happened between the two. She didn't think there was anyone better for her.

"You know, you'd make a good father, Daryl. Have you ever thought about having kids?" Lori said sincerely as she finally approached him to take the baby.

"Nah, not really and I'm not sure about the good father part." He said as he gently placed the baby back into Lori's arms.

"You're so good with her, Carl and Sophia too." She pointed out.

He shifted in his chair. This conversation was highly uncomfortable for him. He didn't want to get into a deep life discussion with Lori and explain why he would make a shitty dad.

"I ain't never even had a girlfriend before and you're over here telling me to have kids." He joked.

"Maybe you just haven't met the right person for that yet, or maybe you have and just don't know it."

Daryl raised his eyebrows and gave her a funny look. Before he could answer her Rick headed down the stairs and entered the room.

"Hey Daryl." "How are things going with your brother home?"

"He hit on Carol last night at dinner." Daryl said annoyed. "Then he asked her if we were screwing."

"What!" Rick said with a laugh.

"He doesn't exactly know how to have proper dinner conversation."

"What'd you guys do when he said that?" Lori asked.

Daryl carefully looked around the house to make sure Carl and Sophia weren't lingering anywhere. "She told him we'd been fooling around the last six months." Daryl said quietly and then turned bright red.

Rick and Lori looked at one another. Lori's jaw dropped a bit. Both slightly wondering if there was truth to it. They knew how close they were, they knew Daryl had stayed the night with her before. It wasn't that far-fetched to think that. Neither wanted to ask aloud if it was true

"I can't believe she did that." Daryl said. "Merle's been asking me since he found out I got locked up over Ed. I've been telling him no ever since then. He ain't never gonna believe I was telling the truth now. When I go home tonight he's gonna bring it up. If he's there." Daryl added.

As much as Rick and Lori wanted to, they weren't gonna ask Daryl if what Carol had said to Merle was true. He was very private and he was so shy. Besides, if there truly was nothing between them, he'd probably get freaked out if he thought that they were thinking that too.

"He didn't stay home last night?" Rick asked changing the subject.

"Nah, he went to the bar with Axel. Said they was gonna get plastered and rent a hotel."

Daryl stayed at Rick's and played around with the gun a while longer before heading home. When he opened the door to the house he found Merle sitting in the recliner watching TV.

"You done sprung for cable and everything." He told his little brother. "Getting mighty comfortable here aren't ya?"

"TV helps me fall asleep." Daryl said with a shrug.

"You been working this late or was you with that woman?" Merle questioned.

"I stopped by Rick's. Won a gun from this charity raffle thing. I left it in the truck."

"Ain't you just a saint?" Merle said very sarcastically

Daryl ignored him and assumed the best way to get him off of his back was to get Merle talking about himself. "So, how'd last night go?"

"Got wasted. There weren't many woman to choose from, but one finally walked through the door. I just ended up going home with her. Didn't even have to pay for a hotel." Merle announced proudly.

"And you wonder how you always end up with the clap?" Daryl said shaking his head and letting out a small laugh.

"At least I'm getting some action." Merle said as he scowled at his little brother. Suddenly he remembered finding that picture on his phone and how he had come to the conclusion that he was in love with that Carol woman. "By the way, you got something you wanna tell me?" Merle asked.

"What are you talking about?" Daryl asked, although he assumed Merle was gonna bring up what Carol had said at dinner last night.

"Don't play with me, boy. You know what I'm talking about."

Daryl assumed he did so he decided to just speak up. "Look, she was just busting your balls right back. I ain't never slept with her. I swear."

"I didn't ask you if you were fucking her. I asked if you had something you wanted to tell me." Merle said sternly.

Daryl raised his eyebrows. "What the hell you talking about?"

"I know you spend time with her kid. Sitting out in the yard playing soccer and all with her daughter. Ain't you just so sweet?" I know you have the picture of the two of you as the background on your phone, seen the way you was looking at her in that photo at her house when she was holding that baby. I've seen it all, baby brother. You're in love with that woman."

Daryl bit his bottom lip nervously. He hadn't guessed that Merle would suspect that at all. He didn't even think Merle knew enough about being in love to pick up on it when someone else was feeling that.

"Am not." Daryl said, almost in the voice of a small child.

"You ain't never gone get what ya want with her, you know that right?" "That's gotta be why you ain't tried nothing with her yet. You can play around with it in your head all day if ya want. Go play house with her some more and eat supper, go play daddy to her kid, but it won't ever change the fact that someone like you doesn't belong with someone like her. If you did, you'd already be together."


	27. Chapter 27

**(This is going to be short compared to what I usually write. Fair warning, shit is about to go down. Thanks for the reviews and thanks for reading.)**

Daryl was so conflicted. On the one hand, he had missed her older brother like crazy. It had always been the two of them against the world, ever since they were kids. He had never been able to depend on anyone else before. When he first got locked up, he had assumed he would spend the next six months in solitude. Maybe find some shitty job and work it until Merle got out. Then the two of them would take what they wanted, burn this piece of shit shack down and never come back to this stupid town. Then Rick's truck broke down and Daryl stopped to help him and his life changed. He met good people, people he actually liked and cared for, and they cared for him too. And his older brother was right when he called him out on it a little over a week ago, he was in love with Carol. He had known that for a while now. He cared about her daughter a lot too. And as much as he would like to pretend that they could be together, he knew Merle was right. He had always told himself he wasn't good enough for her from the moment he first realized there was something there between them. Now, he just had Merle telling him that too and he reminded him of it all the time, and truthfully, it fucking hurt.

Daryl was about to head to work one morning when Merle stopped him.

"You coming home after work or are you going to that woman's house?" He said resentfully

"I'm gonna stop by there for a while. I'll be home later." Merle asking him where he was going to be all the time was really getting old.

"That's the third fucking time this week you been over." Merle pointed out.

"What's your point?" Daryl said getting closer to Merle. It was too fucking early to deal with this bullshit.

"I've already told you a thousand times." Merle reminded him. "Besides I'm tired of fucking sitting in this hell hole by myself all the damn time"

"If you spent half as much time trying to find a damn job as you did worrying about me and my life you'd have a damn job by now and you wouldn't just be sitting in the house by yourself." Dary said in harsh tone as he headed out the door.

When Daryl got to Carol's house that evening she could tell by his face that he was stressed out.

"Merle still driving you crazy?" She asked sympathetically.

"Yeah." He said as he shoved his hands through his hair. "I just wish he'd get a job so he has something to do. Maybe then he'd stop bitching when I don't come home right after work. It's like being married to a jealous woman. I just want my brother back."

"He's just lonely." Carol pointed out.

"Yeah, I guess." Daryl mumbled. He couldn't even get into the fact that Merle knew he had feelings for her and he constantly threw it in his face he wasn't good enough for her. He felt like a little fucking kid again, back when their old man would always tell them they weren't good enough.

"I told you before, you can bring him here with you anytime. Maybe that would help."

Daryl froze. There was no way in hell he was bringing Merle back now that he knew that he had feelings for Carol.

"I don't think it would help things. Thanks anyway, though"

When Daryl got home that night Merle was in the living room with several beer bottles scattered about.

"I did what you said." His older brother stated.

"What?" Daryl asked.

"I found a job."

"Oh yeah?" "That's good" "Where at?"

"I ran into this guy I met while I was locked up named Martinez when I went to get more smokes. He just got a job building docks and sea walls. He said he could get you on too."

"I got a job." Daryl reminded him

"Yeah, well, you're gonna need a new one." His older brother bluntly informed him

"The hell you mean I'm gonna need a new one?"

"The job I got is down near Savannah, we're moving."

"Like hell we are!" Daryl yelled.

"Calm your ass down. I knew you wouldn't like the idea, but it's what's best."

"I ain't going nowhere, Merle."

"Why?" "Because of that woman you're so fucking head over heels for?" "You ain't never even kissed her. I swear, you ain't even had a piece of it yet and you're pussy whipped."

"I ain't going for a lot of reasons. I got a good job here, I got good friends here, and you're right. I ain't leaving Carol and Sophia. You can find a job here and you know it."

"I'm not staying in this shack any longer. I can't." Merle shouted. "It just reminds me of too much bad shit. I don't even know how you lived here alone all those months."

"So, we move. We don't have to stay here. I make good money and I've saved a lot of it up. We can find another place to live."

"I'm leaving Daryl, and you are too. I'm your flesh and blood. The only person that's ever really cared about your stupid ass and I'm the only person who ever will. You don't belong with that woman, never have and never will. Won't nothing ever happen between the two of you. She's gonna meet some guy and throw your dumb redneck ass to the side. He ain't gone want you hanging around his girl all day. It's gonna happen. You can't stay because of your cop friend either. He wouldn't let his fucking family leave without him just to stay close to you. Stop being a pussy and get the fuck over it. You need to come with me.

Daryl was really quiet. He hadn't ever thought of that before. Carol was bound to meet someone eventually, why wouldn't she? She was pretty, smart, funny, and kind. She wasn't gonna be single forever and they weren't always going to be able to hang out like they did now. He didn't know if he could handle seeing her with someone. It would crush him. Merle was right, he had been an idiot these last few months. He hadn't even thought of this shit.

"When are you leaving?" Daryl asked sadly.

"The day after tomorrow." "Are you with me or not?"

Daryl looked down and nodded. It wasn't that he wanted to leave, but he had to. He couldn't sit around and wait for Carol to end up with someone. The longer he stayed around the more he cared about her. He didn't have a choice. Besides, Merle was his brother. He was the only person who had ever been there for him before and now Daryl realized he was the only person who would ever truly be there all the time. He had to go with him. Merle didn't belong here, and he had been right all along, Daryl didn't either. He'd just been fooling himself up until this point.


	28. Chapter 28

**(I was going to wait until the end of the week to write this, but screw it. Why should I prepare myself for something important in my real life tomorrow when I can chop this out instead? Enjoy and be grateful that I am the world's worst procrastinator.)**

Daryl had been unusually quiet at work the next morning. He barely spoke a single word to anyone. He had also seemed to be in quite the mood, because they were all supposed to working on tearing a wall down and the man single handedly took it out himself. His co-workers knew something was up, but they had no idea what. Daryl had told T-dog he needed to stop by his place on the way home and talk to him about something.

"So, what's up?" His boss asked him as he entered his house.

"I gotta tell you something and you ain't gone like it." Daryl said in a low voice.

T-dog looked completely confused. He knew Daryl had been off all day at work. Something had him upset and he had no clue what it could be. "What's going on, Daryl?" He said, with concern etched in his voice.

"I'm moving to Savannah. I gotta quit." He said sadly as he looked down at the floor.

"What?" "Why?" T-dog was in shock

"My brother, he got a job down there. He found me one too." He mumbled out.

"If this is about money, I can negotiate a raise. I don't wanna lose you Daryl. It's hard to find good work."

It ain't about that, you're paying me good. Hell, I'm gonna be making a lot less where I'm going."

"Then don't go." T-dog said as if it was the easiest choice ever.

"He's my brother man, I gotta go with him."

Daryl seemed like his mind was made up. T-dog didn't understand this at all. He didn't wanna lose Daryl as a worker and truthfully, he thought of the man as a good friend as well.

"When are you leaving?" He asked

"Tomorrow."

"Tomorrow?" "What the fuck Daryl!" "How long have you known about this?"

Daryl didn't like being yelled at. Not by anyone. He may have liked and respected T-Dog, but he didn't appreciate the man yelling at him. Although he understood he was upset about having this information sprung on him.

"Stop fucking yelling at me!" Daryl said with his own voice raised now. "I just found out about this shit last night. Like I said, I don't wanna go, but I got to. He's my brother. He's the only family I got. We've got to stick together."

"I don't think this a good idea. I think you should stay here, but this is your life and I can't stop you." T-Dog was now saying in a softer tone. "If you change your mind, the job is still yours. If not, you were one hell of a worker, and we will miss you around here."

()()()

Daryl figured while he was in the neighborhood he may as well stop by and break the news to Rick. He hated this shit so much. Leaving this place and every good thing that he found here was tearing him apart. Rick had become his best friend, aside from Carol. Hell, he was there when his daughter was born and has possibly helped save her and her mother's life.

Rick came to the door shortly after Daryl knocked. He hadn't been expecting to see him at all tonight. He noticed a pain expression on Daryl's face.

"Can we talk?" Daryl asked.

"Yeah, sure. Come on in." Rick replied.

"Actually, can we talk out here?" Daryl asked.

Rick noticed the sadness in his voice. He hadn't ever seen Daryl so upset before.

"Sure." Rick agreed, as he stepped outside the door. "Daryl, what's wrong?

"I'm leaving…"

"What do you mean leaving?" Rick asked with eyebrows raised. This wasn't making any sense to him.

"Merle, he got a job in Savannah. He wants me to go too."

"You don't have to go." Rick said firmly

"He's my brother…"

"I know that, but you have a life here. A job…"

Daryl cut Rick off before he could finish. "I quit my job."

"When?" "And just how soon are you leaving?"

"Right before I walked over here, and tomorrow…" He said with downcast eyes

"What the hell, man?" "You were just waiting to tell us?" Rick had anger in his voice.

"I didn't even know until last night." He countered.

"You don't have to do this. You can stay. Let him go."

"He's my brother." Daryl said helplessly.

"What about Carol and Sophia?"

That one stung, because as hard as this conversation was to have with Rick, it was going to damn near kill him to have it with Carol. He had no idea what he was going to say to her.

"She'll understand…" He managed to say. Because in all honesty, he really thought she would. Sure, he assumed she would be upset by the news, but she knew how much his brother meant to him. He was sure she would understand why he had to go.

Rick shook his head. He wasn't so sure Carol was going to understand and he knew she wasn't going to take this well. "And Sophia?" He asked. "You know she and Carl are with Shane and Andrea all week in Florida while they are on spring break." "You're just going to leave without saying goodbye?

"Man, what do you want me to?" "Merle is my family, my blood?" "I ain't Carol's husband and I ain't Sophia's daddy. I did what you said, I didn't go after Carol. Now you're trying to guilt me into staying because of her and Sophia…"

Daryl had a point. He had once told him that he had no business going after Carol, and right now he wished he never had that conversation with him. Maybe if he hadn't of then they would have ended up getting together. Maybe Daryl would stay if they did.

"I'm sorry." Rick said. "I just, I don't want you to leave. You helped save Lori and Judith, you've been there for Carl. You're not just a friend, you're like a brother to me." His voice was full of emotion.

"Yeah, you too." Daryl said sadly. "Take care of little ass kicker for me."

"Do you wanna see her before you go and say goodbye to Lori?"

Daryl shook his head. Seeing Judith would've been too emotional and he knew Lori would get emotional if he said he was leaving. He didn't wanna see anyone cry. "I gotta go talk to Carol." He said.

()()() 

When Carol got home from work she found Daryl sitting on her steps. He looked like he was about to chew his thumb clear off of his hand.

"You okay?" She asked him softly. She placed a hand on his shoulder and for the first time in a long time he tensed up at her touch.

"Not really." He said barely above a whisper. "We need to talk."

She had no idea what those words meant, but her stomach immediately dropped. He was really upset about something. His voice sounded like it was on the verge of tears and he was shaking a little. She had already had a long day at work and ended up losing a patient, so emotionally she had no idea how much more she could take. She let him inside and the two stood in the living room for a second in silence.

"You're scaring the hell out me, Daryl. Please tell me what's going on?" She finally said breaking the silence.

He looked at her and bit his lower lip hard. This was going to be the hardest conversation he ever had with anyone, but he figured it wouldn't be half as hard as if she ended up coming to him one day to tell him she had met someone and fell in love. So he decided he had to do it.

"I'm leaving…" He managed to get it.

"Leaving?" "Like working out of town with T-Dog for a while?" She asked confused.

He shook his head. "No. Merle got a job in Savannah and I'm going with him."

She froze. She literally just felt like she had been punched in the stomach. She had been married to a husband who abused her for almost 13 years, and right now she would have rather endured physical abuse than to hear him say these words. It was like a knife to her heart. When she divorced Ed there had been no sadness, just a sense of freedom and happiness that she could start a new life. The thought of Daryl leaving was breaking her heart and she hadn't ever even kissed him.

"Leaving?" Leaving?" You're, you're leaving?" She kept repeating herself and her voice was cracking and her eyes were filling with tears. She was silent again for a moment and finally spoke up again "When?"

"Tomorrow." He said, not looking at her. He knew she was crying and he knew she was crying because of him and he felt like the biggest asshole in the world.

"Tomorrow!" "Why?" She asked as she wiped tears from her eyes.

"Merle's leaving and I gotta go with him. He's my brother." He said for what felt like the millionth time today.

"How can you just leave like that?" She spat out angrily. "Without a second thought to anyone but yourself?" "What about your friends?" "What about me and Sophia?" She was yelling and crying at this point.

So for the second time today he was getting yelled out about leaving, except this time the person doing the yelling was making him feel horrible and guilty and she was basically asking him how she could leave her and her daughter. He was sad and angry and he felt like he was backed against a corner, and he did the most natural thing a Dixon could do when they are backed into a corner, he lashed out.

"WHAT DO YOU WANT FROM ME?" He screamed as he threw his arms in the air. "I AIN'T YOUR HUSBAND AND I AIN'T SOPHIA'S DADDY."

She was slightly startled that he was yelling at her, she hadn't ever seen him angry before, except for that time he jumped on Ed. She wasn't afraid of him though, despite his current state. She paused for a second to think about what she wanted. What she really wanted was him, she had wanted him for a long time now. She never thought she had a chance and hadn't ever pursued it. Now he was leaving and she might not ever see him again. Her emotions were ten different levels of crazy right now and he was still staring at her waiting for her to answer. She didn't know what to say, so she did the first thing that popped into her mind.

She quickly moved towards him and started kissing him. She had expected him to freak out, to get even madder, to push her way, to freeze up, but he didn't. When her lips first met his he didn't react for a moment, it seemed to her that he had to process what was happening because it was so unexpected. And truthfully it was, this whole damn night was. But once it seemed he realized what was going on he was kissing her back. So, she went with it. She deepened the kiss and moved her hands to his hair, she had wanted him for so long and it had been a long time since she had been with a man. She wanted him to know where she wanted this to go.

Daryl was almost in shock as to what was happening. He never in a million years would have thought him telling her he was leaving would have ended with her kissing him. Hell, he never thought she'd be kissing him. Yet, here she was, her lips locked against his. He had wanted to kiss her for so long, to be with her for so long and now it was happening, there was no way in hell he wasn't going with it. So, he kissed her back, then she ran her fingers through his hair and deepened the kiss and he lout a moan. Next thing he knew she was pushing him backwards towards the bedroom and he knew what was about to happen. He knew from that moment she kissed him, because it wasn't just a goodbye kiss, it was full of intent.

The way she was kissing him and moving him towards the bedroom, this was going to go fast. And he didn't want it to, he had wanted her for so long, and he didn't want this to go by in a blur. He wanted this to be done right, so he decided to jump into control. He slowed the kiss down just a bit, then he moved his hands down her back at first, and then down her ass, then on the back of her thighs. Once he reached her thighs he lifted her up and pulled her close to him. Still not breaking the kiss. He could feel her lips curl into a smile when he did this and she let out a small moan.

He was holding her now and walking towards the bedroom, the door was closed and for a moment he pressed her up against it and continued kissing her. While she was pressed against the door he broke the kiss for moment to start kissing down her neck, as he balanced her in one arm and fumbled for the door with the other. The two made their way to the bed and he found himself on top of her. She went for his shirt and pulled it off quickly. He moved his hand under hers and was undoing her bra as she was kissing his neck. Once her bra was undone he went to take grab handful of boobs and it suddenly dawned on him what they were doing. He knew once this happened that things would forever be changed. He froze in place and looked her in the eyes. He wanted to be sure that this was what she wanted.

She looked back up at him. His blue eyes were locked on hers. She knew he wanted to make sure this was okay with her. She looked up at him and nodded before locking her lips on his again.

That was all the reassurance he needed, as he moved to pull her shirt up


	29. Chapter 29

**(So, I wasn't that happy with my last chapter. It could have been a lot better and I wish I would have waited to write it and developed it more. I hope you guys somewhat enjoyed it though. Here is the next one.)**

That night neither of them said a word about him leaving, or anything else for that matter. Instead, he kissed her softly before rolling off of her, then he had wrapped his arms around and it wasn't long before they were both asleep.

The morning following their night together Daryl was stirring in bed. He had slept good last night, damn good. He forced his eyes open and noticed that it was still somewhat dark outside. The sky wasn't pitch black anymore, instead a pale blue. The sun was trying to make its way through to start the day. He noticed that she was still wrapped up in his arms. He was holding her from behind and she had one of his arms wrapped up in hers. Both of them were still naked from last night's activities. Daryl looked at her and smiled for a moment, he couldn't believe what had happened last night. He never would have guessed in a million years anything would happen between them. But, it had and it had been amazing. One minute they were arguing and then she was just kissing him. The bliss of what happened and having her in his arms this morning was suddenly wearing off. He remembered they were arguing because he told her he was leaving. He remembered he was supposed to leave with Merle today. Fuck. He hadn't gone home last night. Merle was probably having a shit fit. As if the those thoughts weren't enough, he suddenly found himself freaking out about what had happened. What did it mean? Did she like him? Was she just trying to get him to stay? Was she just horny? Was it a goodbye thing? His head was spinning and he needed to get up and fast. He gingerly went to remove his arms from her when he felt her grip tighten around him.

"Don't." She said, as she turned to face him. She looked up at him and locked her eyes on his.

"How long you been awake?" He asked

"A little while. I've been expecting you to get up and freak out."

"Pfft. You don't know me." He said.

"Keep telling yourself that." She said. "Were you really going to just walk out and leave without saying goodbye?" She asked in a hurt tone.

"I wouldn't ever do that." He said looked her dead in the eye and speaking in a serious tone. "I just really want a fucking cigarette."

She let out a sigh of relief, although she wasn't convinced he hadn't been planning on leaving. Although, the way he was looking at her made her want to believe him.

"If you need to go get one you can, but can we talk when you get back?"

He gulped a bit. He had no idea what this conversation was going to bring. Last night had been amazing and something he had wanted for so long, but he knew it had changed everything between them. Plus he was supposed to leave in a few hours. Why couldn't something of happened between them before and in a much less complicated way?

"We can talk now if ya want. I can wait on the cigarette."

"Okay, she said reluctantly. Can I get dressed first?"

He nodded. She moved out of the bed to grab some clothes and he wasn't sure if it was okay to look at her or not, so he averted his eyes, looking away awkwardly.

"You do realize we just woke up cuddled up together naked? She said as she slipped a large t-shirt on over herself.

"I just didn't know if you wanted me…. I just…" He couldn't find the words. Everything was so simple and right last night in the heat of the moment. No awkwardness, no questions.

She crawled back into bed with him. "Do you wanna get dressed?" 

He reached down to the end of the bed and grabbed his boxers and slid them on while he was still under the covers. Then he was about to grab his shirt and pull it over his head when he felt her tenderly running her hand over his the scars on his back. Dammnit, why was she feeling all over him right now?

"Don't go..." She said without even thinking.

He dropped the shirt and turned to look at her. She looked like she was about to cry again and he didn't wanna see that. He cupped her face and did something that surprised even himself. He pressed his lips against hers for a quick kiss.

"Is that why this happened he?" He said as they pulled apart. "Because you don't want me to leave."

She looked down. She didn't know what to say. She didn't know what he was feeling. He just kissed her. Was that a good sign?

He noticed she wasn't answering, she looked like if she spoke she was going to end up in tears. So he decided maybe he should do some talking.

"Merle, he's my brother. He's all I had for most of my life, but then I met Rick and Rick introduced me to you…" He paused not sure of what to say. He wasn't good at this. He wasn't good with his words. He still didn't know how she felt and he didn't wanna look like an idiot if he told her he loved her and she didn't feel the same way.

"Daryl, what happened last night, if I hadn't of kissed you would it of happened? She asked curious.

"Honestly," He said, "probably not." He saw her face fall when he said it. "Not because I didn't want it to." He added quickly. "I just, I didn't think I was good enough for ya." He said lowly.

"What?" She asked confused. "You're the sweetest, kindest, sexiest man I know. Why wouldn't you be good enough for me?"

"I ain't never had a girlfriend before and I told you, I've done stuff…"

"I don't care what you did." She said as she cupped his face and looked him in his beautiful blue eyes. "I care about who you are, and you're a damn good man. You've done more for me and my daughter than Ed ever did. You protect me, you protect my child, you're a good friend and you don't give yourself half the credit you deserve. Don't even think you're not good enough, not ever. I couldn't ask for anyone better and if I had ever thought I had a chance with you before I would have gone for it a long time ago." 

His face crinkled up when she said this. Why wouldn't she think she had a chance with him?

"Why would you even think that you didn't?" He asked surprised.

"I'm older than you, my hairs turning gray, I was in an abusive marriage. I just thought you.."

"Stop." He said cutting her off. "You're beautiful." He said as he kissed her again.

When they broke apart she was smiling at him. God, she loved kissing him.

"Please don't go, I can't lose you…" She said in a desperate tone.

"Ain't going nowhere." He said as he wrapped his arms around her and pulled her close.

"Really?" She asked beaming

"Really." He said. "When have I ever been able to tell you no?" He joked.

She laughed a little, because thinking back it was true. He had never once told her no to anything she asked him to do.

"I'm sorry." He said, as he kissed her forehead

"For what?" She asked confused.

"For even thinking about leaving. Leaving Sophia and you was going to be the hardest thing I ever had to do."

"Then why were you going?"

"Because, Merle's the only family I got…." He paused before adding "and because I realized one day you were gonna meet someone and I was gonna get kicked to curb.."

"Daryl Dixon" no one could ever have made me kick you to the side, besides there wouldn't have been anyone else. It's you I want."

That was all he needed to hear. He was hers and she was his and he couldn't of been happier. He smiled at her and then before he knew it he was kissing her again, and instead of the soft sweet kisses they had shared this morning these were passionate and intense. Suddenly for the second time in less than twenty-four hours he found himself on top of her. This time when they broke apart instead of seeking permission he did something else.

He was looking in her eyes, just as he had been last night. "I love you." He said barely above a whisper.

"I love you too, pookie." She said before meeting his lips and running her hands through his hair.


	30. Chapter 30

Carol was laying her head on his chest snuggled up against him. She couldn't believe everything that had happened in the last 24 hours. From him unexpectedly announcing that he was leaving with Merle to them ending up end in bed together. None of this had been expected at all. Now, after their talk this morning they were finally officially together and she couldn't be happier. She wanted nothing more than to stay in this bed with him all day.

"What ya thinking about?" He asked her breaking her from her train of thought.

"How I could stay in bed with you all day." She said with a smile as pushed herself up and pressed a kiss against his lips.

He gave her a small smile. "That sounds nice. I wish we could too, but I gotta go talk to Merle. Tell him that I ain't leaving. He's probably already mad as hell. It's damn near nine in the morning and I never even came home last night."

She frowned up a bit. "Do you want me to go with you?"

"Nah, I don't think he's gonna take this very well, It'll be if you're not there." He said truthfully.

She looked sad, almost hurt that he was going to go home and talk to Merle.

"You're scared I won't come back, aren't ya? He said.

"No.." She said, then looked away.

"I already told ya, I ain't leaving," He placed his hand under her chin and turned her face towards his so that their eyes would meet. "I promise."

()()() 

Daryl had left Carol's house shortly after, although she clearly didn't want him to. She was obviously scared his brother was going to do or say something to talk him into leaving. When Daryl got home he noticed Merle's bike was parked in the yard and so was the truck. He didn't see him initially when he walked in the house. He assumed he was asleep or he ended up at someone else's house for the night. He would have been happy with either of those options. He wasn't looking forward to this conversation at all. Daryl went to throw his keys on the table when he heard the all too familiar voice.

"Well, well, you finally made it home." Merle said as he came out from hallway.

Daryl didn't answer him. He just looked at him blankly. Then went to reach for his cigarettes. He hadn't had one all morning. He really, really wanted one.

"I'd ask where ya were, but we both already know the answer to that. Merle said with a scowl. "So, what?" "You told her you were leaving and she finally let you put it to her."

Daryl was glaring at his older brother now. He was just daring him to say something wrong. He wasn't in the mood for this. He should be able to be happy that he and Carol were together. Instead, it was about to start World War 3 between him and his older brother. He felt like he was pinned down by both hands and the only way he could save his life was if he cut one of them off.

"Why don't you just shut the fuck up and mind your own business." Daryl finally said.

"Haha, so you did fuck her?" "That's what I thought." Merle said with a smile. "I didn't think you had it in you to hit and quit it. Guess I taught ya something after all." So, how was it?"

"Didn't I just tell you to shut up and mind your own fucking business? Daryl said, as he moved closer to his older brother. They were almost face to face now.

"Shouldn't you be in a better mood now?" "Damn, you're the first person I seen to get all moody after getting a piece of ass. I get it, you're upset cause you ain't gone see you're little house wife no more. I'm sure you can come visit sometime and she'll throw it to ya again. Now, start packing. We need to head out soon. It's a long ride."

"Ain't going." Daryl said sternly

"What the hell do you mean you ain't going?"

"Exactly what I said. I ain't going." Daryl wasn't backing down about this. He knew Merle was going to be mad, but he couldn't leave.

"So this bitch fucks you one time and just because you ain't got your dick wet in God know's when you just think you gotta stay here and marry her or something?"

"Don't fucking talk about her like that, asshole."

"Cut the shit, baby brother. You can't see what's happening because you think you're in love, but I do. This woman is using you. You take up time with her kid, help her out around the house, do any fucking thing she asks you too. She had it made, you weren't even together and she had you running around like her little bitch. Now you tell her you're leaving so she puts out so you'll stay, but she really don't' give two shits about ya."

"MAN, YOU DON'T KNOW WHAT THE HELL YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT!" Daryl yelled as he shoved his brother. AND I AIN'T NOBODY'S BITCH!

Merle was livid. He and Daryl hadn't ever gotten into a physical fight before. Not since they were little kids, and even then it was over stupid shit. Back then Merle was older and stronger and always won. Now, he was sure his little brother would give him a run for his money. He'd seen him fight in bars before when he would get them into trouble and he had heard what Daryl had done to that Ed guys face. Merle wasn't scared of his little brother though, and he wasn't about to let him shove him like that and get away with it. Merle pushed him back hard and soon the two were up in each other's faces, ready to start swinging.

"The fuck's wrong with you?" Merle asked.

"Me?" "What the fuck's wrong with you?" "Up and deciding you're just gone leave one day and take me away from the life I made while your dumb ass was locked up. You just expect met to quit my job, leave my friends and leave Carol and Sophia without a second thought."

"You ain't never had a problem leaving with me before." Merle growled.

"That's back when I didn't have a damn thing to stay for. I got a life here. People I care about. A job I like. A woman I'm fucking crazy about and her little girl who'd be heartbroken if she came back this weekend and I was just gone without a word."

"Selfish bastard." Merle grumbled.

"Me, selfish?" "Let me tell you something about being selfish, I been following your ass around for years. Going everywhere you wanna go, doing everything you wanna do. Then all those times you'd get locked up and I'd be on my fucking own. All because you couldn't quit all those damn drugs you do."

"Saint Daryl over here, acting like he hasn't ever done a fucking thing wrong!" 

"Yeah, I tried some shit, but that was just a few times and it was a long time ago. I didn't ever become a junkie like you. And all that shit you talk about being there for me, where the hell were you when we was growing up?" "You booked up soon as you could and you just left me there with him.."

"I had to, okay. I'd have fucking killed him if I stayed." 

Daryl rolled his eyes. He had always been mad at Merle for leaving him there with their old man. He never understood why he didn't take him too or stay and protect him. "Why don't you look in the fucking mirror before you call people selfish?" Daryl snapped. "I've had a fucked up life and I finally found something good and I ain't leaving it."

"So you're just gonna leave me?" 

"I ain't the one walking away, you are." Daryl said as he narrowed his eyes at his older brother. "You don't lose anything if you stay here with me. You can find a job here. That's up to you though, just know if you leave, that's on you. Not me." Daryl stormed out of the door. If he didn't get a cigarette he was going to kill someone.

He sat on the porch. He was so mad he was shaking. He brought the cigarette up to his lips and started cursing. "Stupid son of a bitch."

Merle walked out to the porch after a few minutes and sat down beside his brother.

"Boy, you're a fucking dumbass."

"Don't." He warned his older brother. He wasn't going back and forth on this. "I made up my mind. I'm not going."

"I see that." Merle said as he took a cigarette out and lit one for himself. "This ain't gonna end well for ya. You and that woman."

Daryl shook his head. He couldn't believe Merle was doing this. "What the hell do you know about it?" 

"I know I ain't never seen a Dixon be in a good relationship, or anyone for that matter. She's got a kid... Look who raised us…"

"I ain't him." Daryl said in a low, angry voice. "Wouldn't ever put my hands on her or Sophia."

"Relax. I didn't say ya would." "Come on though, some things are just genetic…"

"Ain't a cheater neither. I had a woman try and get with at the bar a few months ago. I couldn't even think about it and we weren't even together. Besides, I ain't you. I don't go around fucking everything that walks."

"You think you got this all figured out?" "You're just gone go live happily ever after in the suburbs with her and your cop friend?"

"Ain't got nothing figured out. I don't know what the hell I'm doing, but after last night and this morning, I know I ain't going nowhere. So, are you staying here with me or not?"

Merle sighed. "I guess so, someone's going to have to be here for you when this shit blows up in your face."


	31. Chapter 31

**(Thanks for reading and for all the reviews! It's pretty scary how well some of you can predict things. This one is kind of short and full of happy moments.)**

Daryl had stayed with Merle for a little while. The two walked down to a pond that was on the property and went fishing for a while. Daryl finally told Merle that he had to go. He needed to get things straightened out with T-Dog and make sure he could have his job back. He knew T-Dog had told him that he could, but he just wanted to make sure. He also wanted to get back to Carol's place, plus he needed to tell Rick he had decided to stay.

()()()

"Hey." He said with a grin as she opened the door for him.

Her face lit up and she pulled him inside. She placed her hands around his waist and leaned in for a kiss.

"How'd things go?"

"Alright I guess, Merle isn't thrilled about me not going, but he's gonna stay here."

"Did you tell him," she paused momentarily, "about us?"

"Mhm." He said with a small nod.

"What did he say?"

Daryl paused. He didn't wanna lie to her, but he didn't wanna hurt her feelings either.

"It's kinda weird for him. I've never had a girlfriend before." He let out a small laugh. Even saying he had one know was so strange. "He ain't used to anyone being important to me other than him."

He looked conflicted about all of this. She knew telling his brother he wasn't going with him was going to be hard for him, but she was so glad that he did.

"Are you alright?"

"Never been better." He said as moved to sit down on the couch and then pulled her close to him. She fell halfway onto the couch and halfway into his lap.

She giggled like a school girl and then positioned herself into his lap. She wrapped her arms around his neck and placed her head on his chest.

"Have you talked to anyone else yet?" She asked.

"I texted T-Dog and told him I decided to stay. Told him I was being an idiot yesterday and I was really hoping I could still have my job."

"What'd he say?"

"He said of course and he was glad he didn't have to find someone else, but if I pulled that shit again he was gone stick his foot up my ass."

She let out a small laugh. "Did he ask why you decided to stay?"

"Yeah, and I told him I realized I had a much better reason to stay." He kissed her on the forehead.

"You didn't tell him why?"  
"Nah, figured I'd go for the shock value and let him see us together. He knew I liked ya."

"He did?" She asked surprised. "Did Rick know?"

"Hell no!" Rick told me to stay away from ya right after we first met.

"What?" "Why?" She sounded angry

"Don't be mad at him. I was a little at first, but I got it. I was some stranger. They didn't really know me. They were just looking out for ya."

"I'm betting Lori played a hand in that."

"How come?"

"She knew I liked you from the first day I met you. I asked who you were and may have said you were kind of hot…" She said, as her face turned bright red.

"You shoulda just tried something then." He joked

"Really, Daryl?" "You do remember that you dropped that beer and it spilled everywhere and I tried to wipe it off your leg. You jumped up like a feral cat and tried to get us to let you drive home."

Now he was blushing. "Shut up."

"It was cute. Besides, we didn't know each other then. If it happened we may have never even seen each other again. I'm glad that I got to know you and things happened this way."

"Me too." He said with a smile.

"Do you think Lori and Rick are going to freak out?"

"Nah."

"Why not?" "They both told us not to go for each other." Carol pointed out.

"Ever since I beat up Ed, Lori's been different. She fucking hugged me. It was weird. Then a week or so ago I stopped by and I was holding Judith for her. She started telling me I'd be a good dad. I told her I hadn't ever had a girlfriend before so I hadn't thought about having kids. She said something about maybe I hadn't met the right person yet or maybe I did and just didn't know it."

"And you think she was referring to me?" She asked with raised eyebrows.

"Well, I'm sure she wasn't talking about her, Andrea or Maggie."

Carol shook her head, she wasn't sure Lori was going to be good with this. She did seem to have come around about Daryl lately, but she was so overprotective of her best friend. She wasn't going to tell Daryl that though.

"You are pretty adorable with Judith." She said changing the subject.

()()()

The two stayed at Carol's place a little longer. Lori had been texting Carol all day to make sure she was okay. She was certain that Daryl leaving was going to devastate her friend. She wanted her to come over this evening and have dinner with them so she could check on her. Daryl hadn't told his other friends he had decided to stay yet, and they had no clue he and Carol were now an item. The two decided Daryl would just go over there with her this evening.

"You're so mean. They think you've been done all day." Carol said as they pulled into Lori and Rick's driveway.

"I wanted to tell them in person. Not through a text. Besides, I've been a little busy with you all day."

Carol blushed a little bit and then stepped out of her car and headed towards the door.

Rick opened it and when he saw Daryl standing beside her with his hands in her pocket he couldn't believe it.

"Daryl?" "What the hell are you doing here?" Rick asked stunned

Lori walked up and was holding Judith. Her jaw dropped when she saw him standing there beside Carol.

"I decided to stay…" Daryl said.

Rick and Lori looked at each other and smiled.

"You knew about this all day?" He asked Carol.

She nodded. She was grinning from ear to ear.

"What made you decide to stay?" Lori asked

He looked at Carol and she looked at him. She was still wearing a grin from ear to ear. He hadn't seen her smile so much ever as he had in the past twenty four hours. She was so happy, and she was happy because of him. It felt good, and although he didn't' know if Rick and Lori were aiming for them to be together he assumed it couldn't go as bad as it had with Merle. So, he bit his lower lip a little and he put his arm around Carol. He leaned down and placed a quick kiss on her lips. It wasn't that he didn't want to kiss her, he loved kissing her. He just didn't like displaying his emotions in front of people.

"She did." He managed to say.

Rick's eyes went wide and Lori squealed. Lori ran up to her best friend and wrapped one of her arms around her and held Judith with the other. Rick patted Daryl on the shoulder and smiled.

"'It's about damn time, man."


	32. Chapter 32

**(I love when I get reviews from other countries! It's so amazing to me that someone on a different continent is enjoying my story. Oh, and I don't think it's weird at all to be proud of Daryl. It's what I'm aiming for here. As always, thanks for reading and reviewing. I don't own TWD. S/N: I'm sad that the mid-season finale is next week. I'm going to hate waiting two months for a new episode!)**

Daryl was in a good mood after they left Rick and Lori's. It was nice to have other people be happy for them instead of constantly telling him why this won't work like Merle was doing.

"Are you gonna stay at my place tonight?" She asked him as they got in her car to leave Rick and Lori's.

"I want to, but I gotta work in the morning. I don't have any clothes at your place."

"You could go home and grab some and come back." She suggested

He smirked. "You ain't sick of me yet?" You been with me all damn day."

"Not yet, besides I like sleeping next to you at night. You're warm."

"I'll stay tomorrow night. I'll bring clothes with me and come straight over after work. I should get home tonight or Merle's gonna be bitching."

She frowned up a bit. "Merle's a grown man, I think he'll be okay by himself."

"Don't. I know he's an immature asshole, but he's my brother. He ain't used to sharing me and he gets tired of being alone up there. I gotta help find him a job. He won't be such a pain in the ass if he's got something to keep him busy."

"Fine." She relented. "But you're gonna make this up to me tomorrow."

()()()

When he arrived home it was dark and getting late. Merle was right there waiting for him. Daryl wished he would go hang out with Axel or find something else to do other than sitting around watching every move he made with Carol.

"Thought you just went to get your job back?" "I didn't know that took all damn day."

"I stopped by Carol's and then we went to Rick's." Daryl said with a shrug.

"Figures." Merle said with a hint of resentment in his voice.

Daryl rolled his eyes and didn't say anything. Instead, he went to the fridge and grabbed one of Merle's beers before taking a seat next to his brother on their couch.

"Can I ask you something?" Merle said as he locked eyes with his brother.

"If I said no, it wouldn't stop you from asking. So, go ahead." Daryl said as he sipped on the beer.

"Since you and that woman are screwing around, are you at least being smart wrapping it before ya tap it?"

Daryl raised his eyebrows at his brother. He couldn't believe he was asking him that. He was pushing it a little too far wanting to know about their sex life.

"Just answer the question." Merle snapped.

"What's it matter to ya?" Daryl snapped back. "I don't go around asking you shit like this."

"I have my reasons, now answer the question."

Daryl groaned. He didn't wanna talk about this shit. He also knew his brother though, and he wasn't gonna drop the shit until he gave him an answer. "Not that it's any of your fucking business, Merle, but it ain't like I was planning on shit happening between us that night. I didn't exactly have anything and I didn't really think about it. She's clean. She ain't the type to go fucking around, I ain't really worried about it."

"And I'm sure you two have fucked around more than once by now, you spent all day with her. Yet, neither of you thought to go out and buy some damn condoms."

"How many times have you had the clap?" "Are you seriously giving me the safe sex talk."

"Ain't worried about you catching the clap, worried about you catching 18 to life." 

Daryl froze. Because truthfully, that thought hadn't crossed his mind. Then, he felt like an idiot. He wasn't really thinking about it the first time. Everything happened so fast and unexpectedly. Then the other times she hadn't brought up the issue of birth control and he hadn't asked.

"Dumbass." Merle grumbled. "And she just let you go on ahead and do it without even asking, am I right?"

Daryl didn't answer his older brother. He was starting to feel panicky. How could he have been so stupid to not even think of something so important? He started chewing the inside of his lower lip.

"You see what she's trying to do, don't ya?" "She's gone trap your ass. Watch what I say.."

"Shut up!" "She ain't like that. She just wasn't thinking about, just like I wasn't." Daryl snapped again.

"If you believe that you're dumbed than I thought."

()()()

The next morning at work Carol had been all smiles. She was ready for the day to be over so she could get home and Daryl could come over. She was really looking forward to him staying the night again.

"What's got you in such a great mood?" Tara asked her friend once they were their lunch break

"I had a really good night the other night." Carol said, with beaming eyes and a wide grin before she added. "And morning and afternoon the next day."

Tara raised her eyebrows at her friend. She hadn't missed the suggestive tone in her friend's voice. "Who's the lucky guy?" "I didn't even know you had a hot date."

"Daryl."

"WHAT!" "THISIS HUGE!" "HOW?"

"Quiet down." Carol said with a chuckle. "It happened night before last. His brother wanted him to move to Savannah with him. He came by to tell me. We may have had a slight disagreement about him leaving. I kissed him and one thing just kind of led to another…"

"So, did he leave?" Tara asked anxiously.

"No. He stayed and we're together now. He's coming over to stay the night tonight." She said beaming.

"I'm so happy or you!" Tara said as she pulled her friend in for a hug.

()()() 

The day had seemed to drag on forever for Carol. All she could think about was getting home to see Daryl. She felt like she was in high school again. She texted him when she was on the way home. He got there a little before her and he was sitting on her steps when she arrived.

"Hey." She said as she walked up to him and leaned down to give him a kiss. "I missed you."

"Missed you too." He said back without much enthusiasm.

"Something wrong?" She asked as she unlocked the door. He sounded down about something. He was always broody looking, but his voice was low and flat and he hadn't been as eager and happy to see her as he was yesterday.

"I don't know." He grumbled.

"Rough day at work?" She asked as she made her way into the kitchen to check on the food she left in the crock pot."

"Not really." He said flatly.

She turned to look at him. "If something's wrong just say it. Stop being beating around the bush." She said bluntly.

He sighed. He may as well say what was bothering him. No sense in going back and forth all night.

"Can we talk?"

Her heart sank a little at those words. She was worried he was going to tell her that he changed his mind and he and Merle were going to leave after all.

"Sure." She managed to get out in a shaky tone.

"When we… I mean I didn't think about it either, but…. When we were fooling around and I didn't use a…"

He was fumbling with his words. He was nervous and she could tell. He didn't quite know how to say what he wanted to say, but she understood where it was going. She let out a sigh of relief and started to laugh a little.

"We didn't use a condom." She finished for him.

"Yeah." He said as her nervously rubbed the back of his neck. "Look, I'm not mad, I wasn't thinking about it either, but we need to be more careful." He said. "Because I'm gonna be a nervous fucking wreck for the next month until you tell me we ain't got nothing to worry about.

"Daryl." She said softly. "You don't have anything to worry about now."

"Huh?" He asked confused.

"I have an implannon.

"What the hell is that?"

"It's this a birth control device that goes in your arm. It works for 3 years at a time. I've had it in for two now. After Sophia was born, I used to go get birth control shots. I didn't want to bring another baby into that marriage with Ed. Once my they came out with this, my doctor told me about more permanent options and suggested it. It was something Ed wouldn't be able to know about and I could make sure I didn't bring another baby into that life. I love Sophia and wouldn't trade her for anything, but I hate that she saw everything she did." She said sadly.

Relief washed over Daryl's face. As much as he loved Carol, the thought of having a kid scared him shitless.

"I should have told you I had it in. I didn't think about it. I didn't mean for you to get freaked out."

"It's alright." He said as moved beside her and brought his lips to hers. "I didn't mean to be a jerk or nothing. I just thought about it last night and got worried."

"You weren't being a jerk." She assured him. "I would be freaking out too if the roles were reversed. Just always know you can talk to me when you're freaking out about something."

He nodded. He had known she wasn't trying to trap him like Merle said. She wasn't like that and she didn't really have anything to gain by doing it. Even if they didn't have kids together, he wasn't going anywhere.

"You hungry?" She asked as she took his hand in hers.

"A little, but I think we could both use a shower first. He said in a low, gruff voice. He started walking backwards, pulling her along with him as he made his way towards the master bathroom.


	33. Chapter 33

**(I'm on Thanksgiving break this week, so I will probably be doing a lot of writing. So, if you see a lot of updates, I'm just filling free time.)**

"Sophia coming home tomorrow?" Daryl asked as he joined Carol in the kitchen for breakfast. It was Friday morning and he had spent every other night at her place this week. If it wasn't for Merle he'd have been there every damn night.

"Late tomorrow afternoon. I've missed her a lot, but she's had the best time. Shane and Andrea took them on a dolphin tour. They got to see 4 dolphins and swim with them. They also got to see some eagle rays and go shelling." She took her phone out and showed him some pictures Sophia had sent her. The water was a beautiful shade of light blue.

"Water's pretty." He said

"Yeah, I love the gulf coast." "Have you ever been?"

"Ain't ever even been out of Georgia before. My old man wasn't one for family vacations."

"You and Merle never went anywhere after you got older?"

"We went to bars a lot. Guess Merle's idea of vacations are getting locked up." He joked

"We should go somewhere over the summer. The beach or the mountains. Although, I'm guessing you would be more of a mountain person."

"A smile played at the edge of his lips. "Sounds like a plan."

"I think I'm gonna tell Sophia about us as soon as she gets home." She said changing the subject.

"You want me to be here when ya do?"

She shook her head. She knew her daughter liked Daryl a lot, but she wasn't sure how she'd feel about her mom dating anyone. "I think it needs to be a mother daughter conversation. You can come by later and stay the night if you want as long as she takes the news well."

Daryl raised his eyebrows. "You want me to stay the night with Sophia here?"

"You've been around her plenty of times." "Why not?"

"We just started dating. I don't want her thinking it's okay to just jump into bed with someone you just started dating…He paused realizing they technically hadn't even been dating when they slept together…"Not that I… I mean…. I know we weren't…..but…."

"Daryl, we've know each other for a while. Besides, we're adults. I don't think it's that big of a deal if you stay. You aren't some stranger. Besides, if you're never gonna stay the night when Sophia's here, you do realize we won't be having sex that often."

He turned red and looked down. "If it ain't a big deal to you, I'm fine with staying. I just don't want her and Carl getting any ideas…" He said in a protective tone.

She smiled a bit to herself. Daryl had already grown to be overprotective about Sophia and she thought it was cute and sweet. God help Carl or the boy who did try something one day.

()()()

The two finished breakfast and Daryl was about to leave for work. He helped her pile the plates in the dish washer and then grabbed her and kissed her.

"Have a good day." He told her as their lips parted. "I love ya."

"Love you too." She said as she wrapped her arms around him. "You coming back here or going home tonight?"

"Going home. I'll be back tomorrow."

She looked up at him with puppy dog eyes. "Can I stay at your place tonight?"

He grimaced. He'd managed to go almost seven months without anyone in his new life seeing where he lived. He was ashamed of it. Besides, Merle was at his house. And he knew Merle wouldn't hesitate to cause trouble with Carol there.

"Please?" She asked as she wrapped her arms around him and squeezed tighter.

"But Merle's there…." He whined.

"Daryl, eventually I'm gonna have to be around him. He's your brother. Besides, he wasn't so bad that time you brought him here."

"Fine." He grumbled. "I can come pick you up after work. It's kinda hard to find and there ain't good service out there."

()()()

Daryl had picked her up that evening just like he had promised. Although, he wasn't much looking forward to tonight. Merle had no idea he was bringing Carol home with him and Daryl had no idea how Merle was going to react to that.

"It ain't much, but its home." He said shamefully as the two pulled up into his yard.

She noticed that the house was small and it was located in a secluded area surrounded by woods. It almost looked like the kind of place you would end up in during some bad horror movie. There were old cars and junk parts scattered about. No wonder he had been able to find that radiator house for Rick that day.

"You grew up here?" She asked

"After my mom passed away, up until I turned 17 and left with Merle."

"It's pretty out here and peacful." She added. The scenery of the woods was beautiful. She didn't want him to feel bad about where he came from or that he was still living here.

"Hey, Merle" "Merle!" Daryl hollered as he walked through the front door. "You in here."

"Bout fucking time you got back Darlina." Merle said as he rounded the corner. He stopped in his tracks when he noticed Carol was with him.

"Carol's gonna stay here tonight." Daryl informed his older brother.

Merle scowled a bit, but didn't say anything.

The angry look on his brother's face and his quiet tone didn't go unnoticed by Daryl. Though, he was somewhat thankful Carol's presence had shut him up momentarily.

"Good to see you again, Merle." Carol added with a sideways smile. It wasn't lost on her that Merle wasn't a fan of their relationship, but she wasn't going to let anything he said or did get to her. She was just going to kill him with kindness for now.

"Yeah, you too." Merle finally mumbled before retreating to his bedroom.

"Come on. I'll show you to my room." Daryl said as he took moved his hands around her waist.

When he opened the door the bedroom somewhat looked like it should belong to a teenager. There were road signs hanging on the walls. She assumed he and Merle had taken them when they were kids. She also noticed some mounted ducks and deer heads on the wall. He obviously hadn't changed much about the room since returning home.

"Bed's not as nice as yours." He pointed out. It wasn't as big as her queen sized bed. It was a small full sized mattress.

"That's okay. It just means I get to sleep closer to you." She said with a smirk. "So, how many girls did you sneak in here back in the day?" She joked.

"None." "You're the first girl I've ever had in here." He said in a tone barely above a whisper. Almost as if he was embarrassed. "Bringing random girls home was always more of Merle's thing."

"Well, you've got one here tonight." She said as she moved closer to him. She wrapped her arms around his neck and started to kiss him. She felt the grin swipe across his lips as she was kissing him.

()()()

"You two are like a damn bunch of teenagers." Merle said as the two emerged from Daryl's room. "You coulda just stayed at her place to do all that shit."

"Shut up Merle." Daryl hissed. "How many times have I had to deal with you bringing random skanks back here?"

Merle let out a snicker and then his eyes lit up a bit. "Ya know, darlin' tell me your secret to getting my little brother to sleep with ya. He normally has to be high as a kite or drunk as skunk to even let a woman touch him. Hell, I honestly thought he was queer."

"Merle." Daryl warned.

"What?" "I'm just pointing out a fact."

She pursed her lips hard. If she was a man she'd probably deck his brother right now. Daryl was squirming in his seat and was about to bite his lip off. This wasn't innocent fun like them going back and forth the first time she met him. Daryl was clearly upset by Merle mentioning that. She assumed it was a combination of the fact Merle mentioned he used to get high and the fact he was talking about him being with other women in front of her. Daryl was right, his brother was a dick.

"No secret here." She said coldly. "I assure you, your brother didn't need any alcohol or drugs to even consider being with me. Maybe he just knew he was better than the type of woman you'd help hook him up with."

Merle leveled his eyes at her. He'd give her one thing, she was ballsy. She didn't mind going back and forth with him. He found it hard to believe she used to let her husband slap her around.

"Surprised he even knew what to do with ya." Merle added. "Can't have been with more than two or three girls before you. Not more than a time each. You musta put it to him real good to have convinced him not to leave with his own flesh and blood."

"If I can convince him not to leave, I wonder what else I could convince him to do." She spat back.

Tensions were on high in the Dixon household that night and Daryl was miserable. He just wanted Merle to act like a normal older brother and be happy for him. He had said he was tired and that he was going to bed shortly after the exchange between Merle and Carol. He didn't see any good coming from the two being around one another any longer.

"You okay?" She asked him once they reached his bedroom.

He sat down on the bed and placed his head in his hands. He let out a sigh. She moved to sit behind him and wrapped her arms around his waist and laid her head on his shoulders.

"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have kept going back and forth with him like that. I just don't like him talking to you like he did. I know he's your brother, but he isn't good for you."

"He's the only family I got. I can't just walk away from him." Daryl said in snappish tone.

"That's not what I meant."

"Then what the hell was that back there when you basically told him you could get me to do whatever you wanted?" "Do you really think that?"

"I don't know. Merle brings out the worst in me. I didn't mean it like that. I was just being a smart ass."

"He has that effect on people." Daryl agreed. "But that's only gonna make things worse. He really thinks that. He thinks you're playing me and this is gonna blow up in my face."

"Do you think that?" She asked in a hurt voice.

He shook his head. "No. I know you're not like that and I know that I love you and I've never felt this way about anyone before. It scares the hell out of me. I don't have the first clue as to what I'm doing and I'm worried I'm gonna mess this up. I'm not used to this. Being open with someone, talking about my feelings and shit."

She pulled him back onto the bed with her, her arms were still tightly wrapped around him. She kissed his cheek. "I love you, too and even though I was married before I've never felt this way before either. You're not gonna screw this up, you're doing a lot better than you think. Don't let what Merle says get into your head."

()()()

Carol woke up the next morning before Daryl did and couldn't get back to sleep. She decided to make some coffee, but she had no idea where they kept it. Merle must've heard the noise in the kitchen and went in to see what it was about.

"What are you looking for?"

"Coffee."

"Second shelf to the right."

"Thanks." She mumbled. "Look Merle, I'm sorry about what I said last night. I didn't mean it like that, I wouldn't ever do anything to take your brother away from you."

Merle nodded, but didn't say anything.

"You want some coffee?" She offered

"Sure." He said as he went and took a set at the table.

The two sat in silence until the coffee was finished. He showed her where the cups were and she poured a cup for them both.

"You've gotta stop screwing with Daryl's head."

"Excuse me?"

"I love your little brother, aside from my daughter he is the most important thing in my life. He's kind and sweet and smart and the sad part is he doesn't even realize it. He's scared to death he's gonna do something wrong and screw this up. I'm not sure if that comes from whatever shit you're filling his head with or everything that sorry ass daddy or yours put the two of you through. Maybe it's both. He's happy now, and he deserves to be. He just doesn't realize it. If you love him half as much as you say you do, just try and pretend to get along with me. Because seeing him torn between us is breaking my heart and I don't think you even realize how much it's hurting him."

Merle looked at her, taking everything she said in. Yet, he still didn't say a word. He just sipped on the coffee.

"Here." Carol said as she slip him a business card

"What's this?"

"Rick's neighbor Dale has a nephew named Jimmy. He owns a body shop. He's looking for some help and Daryl has mentioned you used to work on cars. Give him a call." She pushed her chair in and headed back to Daryl's room.

Merle sat there, pretty sure he had never been more confused in his life.


	34. Chapter 34

"Where'd you go?" Daryl mumbled as he felt Carol crawl back into bed with him.

"Couldn't sleep. Made coffee."

He pulled her back close to him and rested his head on her shoulder. "There any left?" He asked sleepily

"A little. Merle got some."

That woke him up a little. "You two didn't try and kill each other did you?"

"No. I was very nice and I apologized for the way I acted."

"Thanks for trying with him." He said softly.

"Anything for you."

"I think I'm gonna grab some coffee real quick. You wanna go for a walk after?" He said as pushed himself up out of bed.

"Sure." She said as she got up to follow him.

()()()

Daryl stepped into the kitchen and Merle was eating some microwavable sausage biscuits.

"I left some for both of ya." Merle said gesturing to the microwave." "I'm gonna head out for a bit. I got some stuff to take care of today. You gone be home tonight?"

Daryl looked to Carol who was standing behind him. He had told her yesterday he'd stay at her place tonight. "I'll be here most of the afternoon, but I'm gonna head over there later and stay the night."

"Just as well, I'm gonna go hit up some bars with Axel later anyway. I might not even be back. I'll see ya later little brother." Merle said as he headed out the door.

Daryl stood there stunned momentarily. No smart ass comments. No bitching about him not coming home. And his brother had even left food in the microwave for him and Carol.

"I gotta be dreaming." He mumbled as he shook his head and moved towards the microwave.

()()() 

Where are you taking me? Carol curiously asked as Daryl led her down a thick path in the woods.

"You'll see in a minute."

He led her out to a pond. It had a small dock and around the pond there were all these white flowers. She reached out to touch one.

"Those are Cherokee Roses." He said. "You ever heard the story about em?"

"No." She said as she shook her head and continued to hold the flower in her hand.

"The story is that when American soldiers were moving Indians off their land on the Trail of Tears, the Cherokee mothers were grieving and crying so much 'cause they were losing their little ones along the way from exposure and disease and starvation. A lot of them just disappeared. So the elders, they said a prayer; asked for a sign to uplift the mothers' spirits, give them strength and hope. The next day this rose started to grow where the mothers' tears fell."

She smiled at him. It was a sad, yet beautiful story. "You never stop surprising me, you know that?"

"Hmm." He said, as a smiled back at her. He reached out and picked the flower she was holding and found a beer bottle on the ground and place it inside. He handed it to her. "It's my favorite flower. I don't know, for some reason they make me think of you."

()()() 

She had stayed at Daryl's a while longer, but had to leave within the next hour so she'd be there when Sophia got home. She couldn't wait to see her daughter. A week without her seemed like forever. She placed the flower in the beer bottle Daryl had given her in the window seal in the kitchen. She smiled at it after she put it down. She could have put it in a vase, but something about the fact this beautiful flower was sitting in this beer bottle was just so reflective of Daryl she couldn't make herself move it. The beer bottle was something you wouldn't expect to find that flower in, yet there it was. Just like when you first saw Daryl, you wouldn't expect him to be the kind of guy who goes out picking flowers for you in the woods. Hell, you wouldn't expect Daryl to even like flowers.

Sophia had come home not long after Carol got there and she had spent some time with her daughter looking at pictures of her trip, looking at the shells and souvenirs she brought back and just talking about everything that they had done in general. After a while, the young girl asked her mom what all she had done while she had been gone.

"Actually, I wanted to talk to you about that." Carol said nervously

"What's up mom?"

"While you were gone, I may have realized something…"

"And that is?"

She sighed. She really hoped Sophia was okay with this. She hadn't thought about what she would do if she wasn't.

"Well, um, I think that I might like Daryl."

Sophia's face lit up immediately. "Really?" "That's great!" "You should tell him, he likes you too."

"What makes you say that?" Carol asked curiously.

"He handed me his phone that day at my birthday party and told me to put my number in there if I ever needed him. He had this background photo of the two of you and you were covered in paint. You were looking up at him smiling and he was looking down at you smiling and making googly eyes. It's so obvious."

"Why didn't you say anything before?"

"You guys are grown-ups. Aren't you supposed to be able to figure this stuff out on your own?"

Carol let out a laugh. If only it were that simple being an adult.

"So you'd be okay with it if I told you that Daryl and I decided to date while you were gone?" She said hopefully.

"Of course. I like Daryl. Besides, he's practically here all the time anyway. It won't be much different other than I guess you guys would make out now..." "Just, don't do that in front of me" He daughter added. "That's gross."

()()()

Merle arrived back at the house that afternoon and found Daryl outside cleaning his crossbow.

"Good news, little brother. I got me a job."

"Where at?" Daryl said curiously. He was hoping it wasn't hours away like the last job Merle had found.

"You don't know?" Merle asked surprised.

"Know what?"

"I'm gonna be working with guy named Jim over in King County on at his body shop."

"Dale's nephew?" Daryl asked confused. "How the hell did you end up getting a job with him?"

Merle raised his eyebrows in confusion. He wondered why Carol hadn't told Daryl giving him the business card and telling him to go talk to them.

"Ask your girlfriend." Merle said with a shrug.

This time Daryl raised his eyebrows in confusion. "Carol told you to talk to Jim?"

"This morning over coffee. Among other things..."

"What other things?"

"Nothing important." Merle brushed him off. "Don't worry, we were playing nice." Merle added as he saw the look of concern wash over Daryl's face.

()()()

"Hey kid, good to have ya back." Daryl said to Sophia as he arrived at Carol's and the young girl answered the door that night.

"Thanks." She said with a smile.

"You have fun while you were gone?" "Your mom showed me some of the pictures ya sent her."

"I had the best time. Oh, and Andrea got thrown off the raft in the middle of the ocean when we went parasailing." Sophia added with a giggle. "The guy driving the jet-ski didn't even notice and it took us a minute to get him to hear us so he could turn around and get her. She was screaming.

Daryl laughed at the thought of Andrea out in the middle of ocean screaming her head off. He could just see Shane laughing his ass off and picture Andrea punching him for it.

"Hey, Daryl?" Sophia said interrupting that mental image he had going on.

"Yeah?"

"I think it's pretty cool you and my mom are together now. I think she likes you a lot."

"I'm glad you're okay with it, and I like her a lot too." Daryl told the young girl.

()()()

Daryl ended up staying the night there with Carol and Sophia. They all piled in the living room and watched movies. Around 1:00 a.m. Sophia decided to go to bed. She said she was exhausted from the long drive. Daryl and Carol stayed up a while longer and to finish the movie. He hadn't brought Merle's job up in front of Sophia earlier, or anything about Merle. Now that he was sure she was asleep, he was curious to find out about that job Carol referred him to.

"Merle came back this afternoon. Said he got a job working with Dale's nephew, Jim. He said you told him bout it."

"I handed him the business card when we were having coffee. Dale mentioned Jim needed some help when I saw him at Rick and Lori's. I was gonna tell both of you and suggest it to Merle when we went over there, but then he pissed me off and I wasn't gonna tell him at all."

"What changed your mind?"

"He's your brother. I've gotta learn to get along with him. The best way to do that is to be nice."

Daryl grunted. "Merle ain't used to people being nice to him and he ain't much for being nice. Thank you, though. It means a lot." He said as he tightened the grip he had around her waist and kissed the side of her forehead. "Did you guys talk about anything else?" He added curiously.

"Don't worry, we played nice." She said echoing the words his brother said to him earlier.


	35. Chapter 35

**(In response to a few reviews, I like writing people happy, for the most part anyway. I get my share of angst and worry from the show. Writing gets to be my happy place for these characters. I'm glad that you all are enjoying seeing the characters all get to be happy.)**

Merle had started working with Jim at the body shop and it had been two weeks and he hadn't screwed it up so far. He seemed to like what he was doing and was in a better mood than he originally was when he first returned home. He hadn't even given Daryl much shit about his new relationship with Carol. He hadn't magically become an avid supporter of the two, but for the most part he was keeping his snide comments to himself. Daryl was relieved, because it made things a lot easier not having the devil on his shoulder whispering in his ear the whole time telling him why it wouldn't work. He had actually been able to enjoy this and be happy about it. He had been spending every other night at Carol's. He didn't want Merle to be alone all the time. He knew how lonely it was up at that house by yourself. Besides, he didn't want to just up and move in with Carol either. Sure, he had known her almost seven months now and he was in love with her, but he didn't wanna rush this and screw it up either. He wanted to take their time and do things right.

"Merle's birthday's this weekend." Daryl mentioned Friday morning before he went to work. "He wants me to go out with him. Down to some bars and have some drinks, shoot some pool. You gone be okay by yourself tonight if I go?" 

"I think I'll manage." She said with a grin. "I'll miss you though."

"Yeah, you too"

"Don't get into any trouble." She joked.

"You gonna punish me if I do?" He joked as he slid beside her and started kissing her.

"Ew!" Sophia said as she entered the room. "Mom, wasn't the deal when I told you that I didn't care if you dated Daryl just not to make out in front of me?"

Carol pushed Daryl away from her and started to laugh. Daryl looked down and blushed a little. This wasn't the first time the teenager had caught them making out.

"Aren't you supposed to be at school?" Carol asked her daughter.

"I'm waiting on one of you to drive me. I missed the bus."

"I'll take her." Daryl volunteered. "I'm working out that way anyway."

()()()

After Daryl got off of work that night he went back to his house and met up with Merle. The two had driven their bikes to a bar in King County. It was the closest one to where they lived and Daryl figured it'd be easiest to get a cab if the two of them got plastered. He hadn't been really drunk in a while, not since that first night he went to Rick's and he had met Carol. This was the first time he had gone out with Merle since he had gotten out of jail and factor in that it was Merle's birthday. He was sure his brother wasn't going to shut up until he got drunk with him. When they got to the bar Merle had immediately started throwing back shots. Daryl had taken two so far, but he would be lying if he said he wasn't feeling it a bit. It had been a while since had drank liquor.

"Ya know, I was half way worried your domesticated ass wasn't gone come." Merle said to his little brother as the two were shooting a round of pool.

Daryl shook his head as he made a shot for one of the stripped balls. "I'm here, ain't I?

"You ain't like ya was before." Merle pointed out.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Daryl asked as he looked up and locked eyes with his older brother.

"You do things your own way. You used to follow me around. Hell, you'd been following me since you was old enough to walk. It's weird not having you around all the time."

Daryl shrugged. What was he supposed to say? He knew he'd changed. He'd grown up a lot in the last seven months. Hell, it was about time he had, it only took 35 years. "I'm still your brother." He finally offered.

Merle walked over to the bar real quick and grabbed two more shots. He quickly threw his back and then offered the other to his brother. Daryl didn't hesitate and downed it. He had a feeling Merle was feeling chatty. Sometimes when he got drunk he'd get emotional. Daryl needed to be buzzed to deal with an emotional Merle.

"Can I ask you something?" Merle pondered

"I guess." Daryl grumbled.

"You and your lady, how'd that happen anyway?" "I mean, I know what happened the night you told her you was leaving, but before that." "How'd you end up so sprung?" "I never thought I'd see the day you went crazy over some chick."

Daryl thought about it for a moment. He didn't really know exactly. He'd just kind of hit it off with her that first night they met. She was easy to talk to and he was drunk so he was a hell of a lot easier to talk to than normal. It went deeper than that though, the moment he saw her he had found himself wanting to talk to her. He couldn't really explain why.

"I don't know." Daryl finally said. "I met her at Rick's and we just kinda hit it off. I got wasted as hell and passed out. The next day I woke up in Dale's RV and she came over to check on me. She'd cooked me breakfast and it just kinda went from there. Just something about her, she's different from anyone I ever met before." "Ya know?"

Merle shook his head, because honestly, he didn't know. He'd never given a damn about a woman before. Hell, the only person aside from his self he'd ever given a shit about was Daryl. He didn't understand what his brother was feeling and he wasn't going to pretend to. But he did know whatever he felt for this woman affected every aspect about his brother and his mood and Carol had been right when she told him in the kitchen that morning at their house that he was hurting his brother by pushing his buttons about her. So, for the last two weeks he had tried his best to let his brother be and be happy. The woman didn't seem so bad really. She held her own with Merle when he talked shit, she defended Daryl and looked out for him and she had even helped Merle get this new job he had. Under any other circumstance he might halfway like her. But still, he knew if this relationship went south his brother was going to be more hurt than he ever had been before in his life, and he just hadn't ever seen a relationship go well. He didn't wanna see his brother suffer that much pain.

()()()

The brothers had shot pool, drank some beers, had some more shots, and spent some time reminiscing throughout the night. Daryl had missed this with his brother. Just talking shit and doing simple things, like shooting pool. Merle hadn't really hassled him or given him shit all night and it was like old times. He was glad that he hadn't given him any shit either, because Daryl was liquored up, and he knew if Merle had some smart ass comment to make he'd lose it real quick. He'd always been quick to lose his temper when he was drinking liquor.

"I gotta piss like a horse." Daryl said, as he stumbled his way to the bathroom.

Merle took this opportunity to make his way to the bar. He had eyes on two lovely ladies in that direction and he wanted to go say hi. There was a short blond chick who had recently gotten divorced and a tall, athletic African American woman. Merle had his eye on the blond.

"Ya know, Darlin, I got a brother." Merle said to the tall African American woman. He was wasted at this point and was practically slurring all of his words. "He's off taking a piss right now, but when he gets back, I should introduce ya. He's a sweetheart, my brother. He thinks he's in love, but that ain't gone end well. He needs to get away from that shit real fast. You should go talk to him, show him what he's missing by trying to be all tied down. There he is now."

The woman looked over and noticed a man stumbling back to the pool table area. "That's your brother?" She asked with a smile playing at her lips.

"Yeah, that's him. You gonna go talk to him?"

"Yeah, I think I will." The woman said and headed towards them.

Merle stayed and chatted up the blond for a while. Occasionally he'd steal a glance over at Daryl. He noticed he was talking to the woman rather easily. Merle assumed it was the liquor. He saw them share a laugh and then Daryl was stumbling his way over to his brother with the woman right behind him.

"I'm gonna get out of here. You gone call a cab or you going home with her?" Daryl asked.

"Merle looked at the blond woman. His eyes were hopeful.

"We can take a cab to my place." She said.

"There's your answer little brother."

Daryl turned around and went to head out of the bar, he stumbled again and almost hit the grown face first. The woman who he had been talking with had been walking right beside him. She placed an arm under his shoulder and helped balance him and the two headed out of the bar together.


	36. Chapter 36

**(This may seem a little out of character and it may not be that good. I'm not sure how this is going to be received, but it's just how things played out in my head. Merle's a really hard character for me to write.)**

Merle rolled around in bed. His head was pounding. He had no idea how much he had drank last night, but he knew it had to have been a lot. He rolled over from his belly onto his back and forced his eyes open. He noticed unfamiliar purple painted walls and noticed the comforted was mixed with splashes of black and purple. He turned his head on saw the blond woman asleep beside him. He brought a smug smirk to his lips at the thought of hooking up with her last night. Slowly the events of the night were retreating back to his mind. He remembered going to the bar with Daryl, he remembered taking a lot of shots, he remembered talking to this woman. She had a friend with her, right? Yeah, a tall black woman. He briefly wondered what happened to his little brother if he ended up here with this woman. Daryl had been pretty drunk too. Oh Shit! Merle thought to himself as he remembered Daryl approaching him with the other woman and saying he was going to leave the bar.

"Janet?" Merle called out. No that wasn't her name. Fuck. "Joanne" He tried again. That wasn't it either. "Jessica?" 

"It's Jessie, asshole." The other woman finally mumbled.

"Whatever." "Where's my little brother at?"

"That guy you were with last night?" "He left with my friend. What's it matter."

"Shit." Merle cursed as he shot up out of bed.

()()()

Merle had no idea where the hell he was, but he noticed the woman's address on her mailbox and called a cab. He got the cab take him back to the bar and went to get on his bike. Daryl's was still there, right beside his. He felt really bad right now, really bad. His brother had been shit faced and he talked some woman into going to hit on him and somehow they'd gone home together.

"Fuck" he cursed again as he kicked the side of Daryl's bike.

He knew how much his brother cared about this Carol woman. When Daryl woke up and realized what he had done he knew he'd be a fucking wreck about it. There was no doubt in Merle's mind that Daryl would confess what he had to the woman either. His brother wouldn't be able to keep something like that from her. The guilt would consume him. He doubted that woman would take kindly to it either. She had told him how much she loved his brother, but they hadn't been together all that long and cheating was a deal breaker for most normal people. As much as he knew Daryl dating Carol had been a bad idea in the first place and that it would blow up in his face, him being the reason that was about to happen made him feel like the biggest asshole in the world If his brother knew he played a role in it, he wondered if he'd ever forgive him. Merle suddenly realized what he needed to do. He jumped on his bike and started flying down the road.

()()()

Merle practically flew off his bike when he reached his destination. He knew he'd helped screw things up bad for his little brother, but maybe he could somehow fix it, or make it not as bad. He started banging on the door hard and repeatedly.

"Merle?" Carol asked confused and in a groggy tone when she finally came to the door. "What are you doing here?"

She looked like she had just gotten out of bed. She had on shirt that was too big for. He'd bet anything it belong to his brother. Her short hair was sticking up everywhere and she still looked half asleep.

"Look, I need to talk to you. I fucked up okay. I did something stupid last night and I made Daryl do something stupid and it's all on me. You're not gonna be happy about this shit I gotta tell ya, but you gotta forgive Daryl for it. It ain't his fault. It's mine."

"What the hell are you talking about?" An all too familiar voice said to Merle.

His eyes grew wide at the sight of his little brother. He was standing there behind Carol now. He only had on a white wife beater and a pair of boxers. He looked like shit. His eyes were all squinted up and his hair ruffled up.

Merle made a face. He halfway expected the woman Daryl left with to show up too. He wondered if they were into that three way shit. Maybe that's why his brother liked her so much.

Carol looked at Daryl and then to Merle. A mixture of concern and confusion washed over her face.

"How the hell did you get here?" Merle finally said.

 _*****Flashback*****_

 _Daryl? A female voice asked_

 _Michonne? He said. His voice was slurred just about as bad as Merle's had been._

" _What the hell are you doing here, Daryl?" Michonne asked as she took a seat beside him._

" _I came with my brother. It's his birthday." Daryl was pointing off somewhere not even close to the direction Merle was in._

" _Yeah, I think I just met him. He's charming." She added sarcastically._

 _Daryl and Michonne shared a laugh._

" _What are you doing here?" He asked her._

" _My friend Jessie just got a divorce and moved back here from Virginia. She wanted me to go out with her and take her mind off things. She's over there talking to your brother now." Michonne said as she rolled her eyes._

" _She don't look like Merle's normal type." Daryl said._

" _What's that?"_

" _Trash."_

 _Michonne raised her eyebrows. She wondered if she should go stop Jessie from talking to the man. She decided against it. The two had been good friends back in high school. Jessie had gone off to college in Virginia and they had lost touch. She had contacted her when she moved back because she was lonely and wanted to escape all she'd been through. Michonne had agreed to go out with her. They weren't exactly best friends anymore and she doubted the woman would listen to her anyway._

" _Does Carol know you're here?" Michonne asked._

" _Mhm." He said as he swayed in his chair a bit._

" _Does she know you're this drunk?"  
_

" _Uh uh." Daryl added shaking his head. "I miss Carol." He slurred._

" _You want me to take you to her place?_

 _He nodded. "She's gonna be mad…"_

" _Why?"_

" _She told me not to get into any trouble.."_

" _Don't worry, you're not in any trouble. I came over here to make sure your brother didn't cause you any."_

 _()()()_

"Michonne brought me over here last night. I told you I was leaving. Now, what the hell are you doing here?" Daryl snapped

"You knew her?" Merle asked shocked.

"Yeah, she's a friend of Carol's."

"That sneaky little bitch." Merle grumbled.

"What's going on Merle?" Carol asked sternly. She narrowed her eyes at him.

"I uh, I kinda thought Daryl went home with that woman last night."

"You thought?" "You thought?" "So you was just come over here and tell her that shit on something you thought?" Daryl yelled. Daryl was about to go off some more, but then he realized he heard Merle say this was all his fault. "Wait a minute, you said this shit was all your fault anyway." "What'd you do? Daryl asked as he narrowed his eyes at his brother and clenched his fists.

"Merle looked down. He shoulda just fucking went home.

"Merle." Daryl growled.

"Fine." He snapped back at Daryl. "I was drunk as shit and the woman I was hitting on had her friend with her. I told her to talk to ya."

"You did what?" Carol hissed. "I thought I told you to quit screwing with him."

"I was drunk as shit. I didn't mean to say it. I wouldn't of if I was sober. Relax, he didn't do shit anyway."

"What the fuck is wrong with you?" "Do you even know why you do the shit you do?" Daryl screamed. He took a step towards his brother, but Carol grabbed his wrist.

"Don't. We'll deal with this later." She said softly and then turned to look at Merle. "You need to go."

"Merle was about to say something else, but Carol stopped him. "I said go."

He turned to walk away and Daryl yelled out to him. "You best be glad she's here to stop me, but she ain't gone be there when I get home."

()()()

Merle had gone and Daryl and Carol went back into the house.

"I'm sorry about that." Daryl said as grabbed Carol's arm to turn her towards him. He hadn't looked at him since they came back inside. When she turned to face him her eyes were red and puffy and tears were streaming down her face. "Don't cry." He said as he pulled her into him and wrapped his arms around her. She pressed her face into his chest hard and he could feel the tears soaking threw his wife beater.

"I…can't…..keep…doing…..this." She managed to mutter between tears.

He broke the embrace and moved her to where she was facing him.

"I didn't do anything, Michonne brought me straight here. You know that, you talked to her."

"It's not about Michonnne…"

"I wouldn't done nothing with anyone else either, I swear. I didn't even know Merle told her to come talk to me. I thought she just saw me and came over to say hey. She didn't mention nothing Merle said."

"It's not that either." She said a she wiped her eyes.

"Then what is it?" He asked, pain worry clearly etched in his voice.

"Your brother really doesn't want us together, and I don't think he's gonna stop until we aren't."

"I don't care what Merle wants. It ain't happening. I'm not gonna let him screw this up for us."

"Daryl, he got you wasted and tried to send someone who he thought was a random woman home with you."

"I didn't do anything wrong and I wasn't going to. I wouldn't ever cheat on you. I love you." He said pleadingly.

"I know that, Daryl. I love you too" She said as she reached up and cupped his face. "But you're brother isn't gonna stop until he finds whatever it is that is gonna tear us apart. For whatever reason, he doesn't want us together. He's your brother, you shouldn't have to choose me over him. And I can't have him over here starting things like that. I can't have you and him almost fighting in my front yard. Sophia can't see that. She's been through enough. Maybe…..maybe we need to re-think this"

"What?" He said with his voice cracking, there was a mixture of anger and hurt it in his tone.

He felt like she had ripped his heart out and thrown it in the ground right in front of him. He loved her. He loved her so damn much, and right now she was hurting him more than he ever thought he could hurt. How could she just tell him she didn't wanna be with him anymore? She said she loved him, but if she really did how could she say this wasn't gonna work? Daryl started stepping backwards to move away from her. His head was spinning and he felt like the walls were closing in on him. He wanted to be anywhere but here right now. He had to get away from her.

"Daryl." She said as she moved forward and reached for him.

He pushed her hand away. "Leave me be. Stupid bitch." And with that he raced out of her front door.


	37. Chapter 37

Daryl had stormed off out from Carol's house. He had walked for a long time. His original plan had been to walk all the way back to the bar from last night and get his bike. However, his head was pounding and he pretty much felt like he had been hit by a big truck. He'd thrown up a few times on his little walk and wasn't sure if it was from being hung over or from how upset he was. Maybe it was a combination of both. He finally relented and reached into his pocket to call a cab. He saw the picture of he and Carol on the background of his phone and sighed. He kicked at the ground and murmured some more curse words.

"Where you at you son of a bitch?" Daryl growled when he made his way into his house.

"Calm your little ass down." Merle told his brother as he appeared in the living room.

Daryl was irate and he wasn't much in the mood for talking as he ran towards his brother and swung. Merle anticipating what he was about to do, ducked. Daryl missed and fell forward a bit and when he turned around Merle tackled him. The two were wrestling around on the ground now. Daryl managed to get a good hit on Merle's jaw. Merle maneuvered himself after Daryl connected with his jaw and somehow managed to get his little brother on the ground. He punched him in the face hard.

"Hit me again." Daryl screamed and stopped fighting back. "Just do it."

Merle was about to, but stopped when he saw the look on Daryl's face. He looked broken. Merle let go of Daryl and got up. He touched his lip and could feel blood pouring down from it.

"What are you so upset for anyway?" "You didn't cheat on her, you two should be fine."

"Yeah, well we ain't" Daryl hissed. "She broke up with me and it's all your fault."

"Broke up with you?" "What for?"

"Because you kept fucking with us. She said you won't stop until you win. She's right. I thought you'd finally decided to let me be happy, but then you went and pulled this shit. You went too far. Now everything's all fucked up."

"I didn't mean too, dammnit. I was drunk as shit. I didn't know what I was saying."

"Shut up!" "Just shut up and leave me the hell alone." Daryl said as he got up off the floor. "I found someone I cared about, someone that made this shitty life I had worth something. You fucked that up. I'm done with you, I'm done with this shitty house, done with this shitty town. I'm getting out of here tomorrow."

"Where the hell are you gonna go?" Merle asked.

"Somewhere you aren't gone be." Daryl said as he stormed off into his room, slamming the door behind him.

()()()

Carol heard someone knocking on her door. She halfway hoped it was Daryl. She was mad at him for the way he acted this morning, but she knew what she said had hurt him. She didn't think it was an excuse for him to yell and cuss at her, but she still loved him and wanted to talk to him.

"Didn't I tell you to leave?" She said coldly when she opened the door and saw it was the elder Dixon brother standing behind it. She went to shut the door, but Merle placed his hand in the way and held it open.

"You gotta come talk to Daryl." Merle said softly.

"No." She said plainly.

"No?" "Why the hell not?"

"You didn't want us together, well you got your wish. Now leave."

"Carol." Merle said softly. "What I did last night, it was fucked up. I was drunk and I was thinking about shit and I was thinking that Daryl was just gonna get hurt if you two stayed together. Not now, but later."

"Well you're right, he did get hurt and so did I and it's all your fault."

"I know that, but don't punish Daryl for something I did. It ain't his fault."

She hadn't been paying much attention to him before now. She wouldn't even look at him at first, she was too mad to look at him. Now, he was speaking to her softly and it somehow reminded her of how Daryl would talk to her. She looked up to meet his eyes and noticed his lip was swollen and busted.

"What happened?" She asked in a softer tone.

"Daryl and I got into a little fight."

"Is he okay?" She asked in a worried tone.

"He's fine. He might have a black eye a little later...but he's fine."

"After everything you did, you hit him too!"

"He jumped on me first, dammit." Merle said defending himself. He sighed. "That's not important right now, look just come with me to the house and talk to him. Please."

"Why should I?" "You're being nice now, but a few weeks from now you'll start doing this all over again. I'm not gonna sit around until you get him drunk again and send some random whore home with him. Sure, it was Michonne this time and she wouldn't do something like that hurt me, but next time it's not gonna be somebody I know." She said in tears.

"Daryl wouldn't have cheated on ya."

"Do you have any idea how drunk he was?" "Michonne and I had to carry him inside. I can't put myself through this. I can't put my daughter through this. You showing up and Daryl almost jumping you. She's seen enough of her daddy beating the hell out me. She doesn't need to see any more violence like that, especially not from Daryl. She loves him and trusts him."

"Daryl's right, ya know?" "I don't know why I do the things I do. I never have. I'm a damn mystery to me. But I do know one thing, I love my little brother and he's the only person in this world that means a damn thing to me. When you told him you two couldn't be together anymore, I've never seen him look so hurt and broken. He won't ever forgive me if the two of ya don't make up. I promise, I won't mess with the two of ya anymore. I mean it. Just go talk to him. I ain't one for begging, but I'll sit here all day asking ya to come if you don't."

()()()

Carol had finally relented and agreed to go with Merle. Although she didn't know why. She didn't like him and she damn sure didn't trust him. She and Merle didn't speak on the ride over. When she got to their house she headed straight for Daryl's room where Merle said he'd be and tapped lightly on the door.

"Go away, asshole." Daryl shouted thinking it was Merle.

Carol turned the door knob to see if it was locked. It wasn't, so she slowly opened the door. She saw him lying on the bed. Staring blankly at the ceiling.

He had heard the door opening and was turning to face Merle. "I said…" He began, but stopped speaking when he saw who it was behind the door. He looked at her for a moment, as if he was trying to gather what to say. "What are you doing here?" He said in a gruff voice.

She couldn't read the expression on his face. He seemed angry, yet he almost seemed relieved to see her.

"We need to talk." She said softly.

"Nah, I don't have nothing to say." He said, as he rolled over on his side so he wasn't facing her now.

"Stop being so damn childish, Daryl."

He rolled over to face her and raised his eyebrows at her. "What do you want lady?" "You want me to be happy that you said you don't wanna be with me no more?" "Cause I ain't and I won't."

"I didn't say I didn't wanna be with you." She clarified before adding "You think you're the only one hurting?" "You think you're the only one that's been scared about us or was worried that this was going to mess up?" She was yelling now and she was glad that they lived out in the middle of nowhere so no one else could hear them. "I've been scared to death this whole time too. Maybe you've never done this before, but I have and if you don't remember, it didn't exactly end well for me. I was married to an abusive asshole for 12 years who didn't appreciate a single thing I did. He beat me, he degraded me, he verbally abused me, and I'm more than sure he cheated on me more than once. I wasn't even good enough for a low life piece of shit like Ed, imagine how I feel now that I have someone worth a something. I've just been waiting for you to realize I'm not good enough. I was worried enough when we first got together that it would happen, then I find out Merle's trying to give you every reason in the book to walk away. Now he's moved on to getting you sloppy drunk and trying to throw women at you." She paused for a moment to catch her breath. "I can't wait around for him to get you drunk enough to cheat on me or until he finds the thing that sets you off and you just walk away on your own because you realize you can do better. And I can't put my daughter through watching you get mad at Merle and flying off the handle at him at my house either.

"You think you ain't good enough for me?" He said softly, as he pushed himself up off the bed and moved towards her. "Don't ever think that." He opened his arms carefully and looked at her. He wanted to know she was okay with him touching her. She didn't hesitate or move away from him. So he placed his arm around her and held her tight. "You're beautiful and kind and smart and you're one hell of a cook. I ain't Ed. I ain't my dad. I ain't ever gone be that kinda person. I wouldn't cheat on you, I wouldn't hit you, I wouldn't do anything on purpose to hurt ya." Suddenly it dawned on him what he had said to her earlier and how he had acted. "I'm sorry about what I said, I didn't mean it." He pulled himself away from her and looked her in the eyes. "I shouldn't have said that, no matter how upset I was."

She nodded. She wouldn't lie and say it didn't sting when he said that. It took her back to a place she didn't wanna be reminded of. Ed had said things like that to her all the time. She had never expected Daryl to. However, she had to realize he wasn't perfect and what he said was out of anger and hurt, not just to be mean and spiteful

"You were upset." She finally managed to say.

"Still don't make it right." He replied.

"You're not perfect, neither am I. We've both got things from our past that still affect us today."

"Yeah, guess we do." He said. "You remember what I said that night I showed you my back and asked you about Ed?"

"Yeah, you said our past is a part of us, but it's not who we are."

"Mhm." He said as he kissed her forehead. As he did he felt a sense of relief wash over him. He wanted this. He wanted her. And he was willing to do whatever it took to make sure he didn't lose her or screw this up. "I guess we both got things from our past that are gonna haunt us, but it don't mean we gotta let em consume us. I love ya and I don't wanna lose ya."

"You're not going to. I love you, too."

"I'll talk to Merle, let him know that he can't pull anything like this ever again." Daryl said.

"Merle's the one who brought me here, I think he finally realized what an asshole he was being."


	38. Chapter 38

**(Thanks for reading and for the reviews. Things had to get deep for a minute, but they are gonna be happy again, don't worry. Here's another chapter. I hope everyone has a Happy Thanksgiving)**

It had been a month now, and Merle had kept true to his word. He hadn't done a single thing to jeopardize Daryl and Carol's relationship. In fact, he'd occasionally ask his brother about her or Sophia. Merle was also still doing well at the body shop and even though he'd still go out and drink and whore around, he didn't seem to be using drugs. Daryl was proud of him for trying. Daryl and Carol had gotten along great ever since the last incident too. They didn't really have anything to fight about or get upset about without Merle pushing buttons, so they had gone back to being happy.

"You wanna stop by the store and get some pizzas?" Daryl asked Carol and Sophia. Sophia had a softball game earlier and they had gone to watch her. It was late now and Daryl figured it'd be easier than having to cook something.

"Sure, that sounds fine." Carol said

Daryl pulled Carol's car into a little gas station. It was the kind that sold pizza's and hot wings too. The three of them all piled out of the car and headed inside. Daryl was in line paying for all of their stuff when he heard a familiar voice.

"Hey, little brother."

Daryl turned around and saw Merle had just come through the door.

"Hey, Merle." Daryl said. "What are you doing out this way this late?"

"Been rebuilding an engine on a car. The guy wants it back tomorrow, so we all had to stay late and wrap the shit up. I just stopped by here to get some smokes on my way home." "How you doing, darling?" He said looking to Carol who was standing beside Daryl.

"I'm good Merle." She said as she looked at his little brother and smiled. "What about yourself"

Before he could answer her he saw a young girl in a dirty softball outfit approach them.

"Hey, Daryl!" "If you haven't paid yet can I switch my blue Powerade out for this green one?" The young girl asked.

"You're almost as indecisive as your mom, you know that?" He joked, as he handed her the blue one to go put back.

Before she could turn around and swap the drinks Merle spoke up. "Well, well, you must be Sophia. I've heard a lot about ya."

She gave the stranger a funny look. "Yeah, I am." "Who are you?"

"I'm Merle. Daryl's brother."

Sophia looked him up and down. He was dressed like Daryl does and his eyes somewhat reminded her of Daryl. "Oh, cool. It's nice to meet you. Hey, you should come eat dinner with us if you don't have anywhere to be. We're getting pizzas. Mom usually cooks, or sometimes Daryl, but I had softball game earlier and it's getting late."

Daryl looked over at Carol. Merle might have been acting a lot better lately and he hadn't done anything to mess with them, but he wasn't sure if she'd want his brother around Sophia. They hadn't gone out of their way to let him meet her and they didn't ever really invite him over when she wasn't there.

Merle was about to decline, he knew their still had to be some resentment towards him on Carol's part, even if they were polite whenever she'd see him.

"That's a nice idea Sophia." "Why don't you join us, Merle?" Carol said before he could decline.

()()()

At first dinner was a bit awkward, the adults were somewhat silent other than the occasional small talk.

"So, what was Daryl like as a kid?" Sophia curiously asked Merle "Did he run around with a crossbow picking off all the neighborhood squirrels?"

The adults all let you a laugh at the thought of that.

"Squirrels in our neighborhood didn't have a chance." Merle said. "But we didn't really have the money for nice stuff like crossbows, so Daryl here would use his B.B. gun or make homemade bow and arrows. He was pretty good at making em too. "You remember the one you made out of bamboo?"

Daryl laughed a little. "Yeah, I do. You said it wouldn't work and it did."

"Daryl was always a strange one, even back then." Merle recalled. He spent a lot of time making shit or walking in the woods. Didn't really spend time with other kids. One time he got lost in the damn woods for days. I wasn't home or I'd have come looking for him, anyway, he ended up finding some poison ivy and wiped his ass with it. Poor kid." Merle laughed.

"It wasn't funny. My ass itched like crazy for days." Daryl scowled

Carol rubbed his arm and laughed. "Poor, pookie."

"Pookie?" Merle questioned with a disgusted look on his face.

"Stop." Daryl warned as he looked down and turned red.

Merle let it go and changed the subject. He probably didn't even wanna know anyway.

They continued to reminisce for a while about Daryl and Merle growing up. Most of the stories Merle could think of somehow ended up slightly embarrassing for Daryl. Everyone got a long and Merle didn't cause any trouble.

"Why don't you go get a bath and get to bed, Sophia." Carol suggested. "You have to be up early tomorrow if you want Daryl to take you hunting with him."

"Alright." Sophia groaned. "It was nice meeting you, Merle."

"You too." Merle said as the young girl walked away. "Where ya taking he hunting at?"

"Just back in the woods off behind this house I guess." Daryl shrugged.

"Why don't you just bring her out to the house?" "There's woods for miles and you know that's where the best hunting is." He suggested.

"I might." Daryl said.

"Alright, well I'm gonna head out. Thanks for the food." "You staying here?" Merle asked as he looked to Daryl.

"Yeah." "I'lll see ya tomorrow."  
()()()

Merle left and Sophia had gone to bed. Now Daryl and Carol were cuddled up on the couch watching Breaking Bad.

"That went better than I expected." Carol said.

"Yeah, I know. I couldn't believe you even said he could come in the first place."

"I knew Sophia would have too many questions if I said he couldn't come. Besides, he's been on good behavior lately and he's your brother. We should be able to do things with him too."

"Yeah, I guess we should." He agreed. "Hey, would you mind if I took Sophia out to the house to hunt?" "Merle's right, it's one of the best spots I know. We damn sure ain't gonna get nothing out here. It's too populated."

"I don't mind." She said.

"You sure?"

"Yeah, I trust you with her. It's fine."

"You know Merle might be at the house too." He pointed out.

"I know, but like I said, I trust you with her. And just so you know, I appreciate everything you do for her and all the time you spend with her." She said as she leaned up to kiss him.

"It ain't nothing. She's a good kid."

"It is something. You don't have too, but you do, and if it's even possible, I love you even more for it."

()()()

"You sure you're even gone be able to pull the trigger if you see something?" Daryl asked as he and Sophia got out of his truck once they arrived at his place.

"Yeah." Sophia said confidently.

"You been begging me to talk your mom into letting you get a pet and now you got me taking you out here hunting animals."

"People can hunt and have pets too. I want a cat, not a deer." "Besides, we're gonna cook whatever we kill, right?"

"That's the plan." Daryl said.

"So, you decided to come out here?" Merle asked as he stepped on the porch and lit a cigarette.

"Yeah, you had a point. Better hunting out here."

"Do you hunt?" Sophia asked Merle

"Been hunting since I was old enough to hold a gun, little lady."

"Do you wanna come with us?" Sophia asked

Merle looked to Daryl to see what he thought about it.

"Get your shit and come on if ya want."

()()() 

Daryl and Merle had taken down a few quails and doves, but Sophia hadn't been able to hit anything yet. They were all air born when the men had hit them and Sophia didn't quite have the aim to get one.

"You shoot like a girl." Merle told her.

"I am a girl." She scowled

"Shut up, both of ya." Daryl said as he pressed his fingers to his lips. He pointed off to the left. Standing near them was a turkey.

"You wanna try for it?" He asked the girl in a whisper.

"A turkey?" She said. "It's not Thanksgiving."

"Nah, but it's turkey season, and it's sitting right there waiting on ya to hit." Daryl pointed out.

"Okay.." Sophia said reluctantly. "She drew back on the bow Daryl had given her and readied her arrow."

"You don't gotta if you don't wanna." Daryl said noticing her hesitation.

She released the arrow as soon as he finished and hit the bird.

"Good shot." Daryl said, as he ran up to remove the arrow and grab the bird.

"Who shoots like a girl now?" She said and turned to face Merle with a smirk.


	39. Chapter 39

**(Thanks for reading. I hope everyone is still enjoying this. The story is getting close to the end. From here on out it will mostly just be snippets that occur in jumps in time instead of a drawn out story. There are still important things to come though, I promise.)**

Three months, it had been three months since Daryl and Carol had first gotten together and Carol couldn't have been happier. In the beginning, she and Daryl had both been worried about something screwing things up, especially with the way Merle was acting and doing his best to make Daryl believe their relationship was a mistake. Things had been great since Merle stopped trying to screw with them though. They hadn't had a single argument since then. Merle had started coming around on occasion and having dinner with them ever since Sophia invited him over that night they ran into him. He seemed to be bonding with the young girl for a reason no one quite understood. But, Carol wasn't going to question it, because having Merle around and not being an asshole had Daryl happy, and if Daryl was happy, she was happy.

"Morning, sleepy head." Carol said as she leaned down and kissed Daryl's forehead. It was Saturday morning and he was still asleep in her bed.

He stirred around a bit and slowly opened his eyes. "Morning." He said.

"Happy Birthday." She said with smile as she sat down on the bed beside him.

He pushed himself up on his arms a bit and then grabbed her and pulled her close to him. "Thanks." He replied as he rested his chin on her shoulder.

"You do realize I have to go work and cover for Tara for a few hours don't you?"

"It's my birthday, can't you just stay here in bed with me all day?" He said with a pouty look on his face.

"You know I would if I could. There isn't anyone else to go in for her. I'll be back in a few hours and I promise I'll make it up to you."

"How ya gonna do that?" He said in a low, gruff voice as he rolled himself over on top of her and began to kiss her

"However you want." She replied in a breathless voice once he broke the kiss. She pushed him off of her, because she was sure she'd never leave the house if she didn't. "We'll pick this up later, I promise."

"Fine." He grumbled.

"I'm gonna drop Sophia off at Rick's so she and Carl can work on a project for school. Would you mind picking her up for me this afternoon?"

"Sure, no problem." He said as he forced himself out of bed and slid a pair of pants on over his boxers.

"You're the best." She said as she walked over to him and placed her hands on his chest and gave him a quick kiss on the lips. "I really am sorry that I have to go to work for a little while, I'll make it up to you later and it will be the best birthday ever, I promise."

"Already is." He sai"How come?" She said curiously.

"Because I've got you."

Her eyes lit up and she smile spread across her face. "I gotta go, I love you and I'll see you later."

"Alright, love you too."

()()()

Daryl went back to his and Merle's place. He figured he'd just stay there until he needed to pick Sophia up that afternoon. Better than sitting at the house by himself.

"Happy Birthday, little brother." Merle said to him as he entered their house.

"Yeah, thanks." Daryl said as he threw his motorcycle keys on the counter.

"How ya gonna celebrate?"

"Sure as hell not the same way we celebrated yours." Daryl joked.

Merle let out a small laugh. "Carol ain't got nothing special planned for ya?"

"She had to go into work for a bit, said we could do whatever I wanted when she got back." He shrugged

"So in other words, you're gonna get your dick sucked all night."

"Shut up." Daryl groaned.

Merle was wearing an evil grin, but decided to be nice since it was Daryl's birthday and leave him alone. "Ya wanna go help me with my bike?" "I gotta clean the carb out, it's been sputtering."

"Yeah, sure."

()()()

Daryl and Merle got the carb on the bike cleaned out and decided to go ahead and change the oil on both of their bikes while they were at it. Merle said he needed to run down to the body shop he worked at and get a new sprocket for his chain. Daryl told him he'd probably be gone when he got back because he needed to pick Sophia up from Rick's. He decided to go get a shower and clean himself up a bit before he did that. He'd gotten pretty dirty after working on the bikes. After he was clean, he headed off to Rick's.

"Happy birthday man, Rick said." As he opened the door for Daryl. "Come on in, Sophia and Carl are out back.

"Thanks." Daryl said as he entered the house.

"SURPRISE!" A large group of people screamed as familiar faces began popping out of nowhere.

Daryl saw Rick with a huge smirk on his face. He noticed Shane, Andrea, T-Dog, Abraham, Rosita, Oscar, Glenn, Maggie, Dale, Michonne, Carl and Sophia standing around. "What the hell is this?" He asked.

"It's your surprise party." Carol said with a smile as she and Lori appeared around the corner. Suddenly he noticed Merle walking behind Carol.

"You did all this?" He questioned.

She nodded her head.

"And all of you knew, even you? He said pointing to Merle.

"That's right, little brother, and you're dumbass didn't even suspect a thing."

()()()

Daryl was completely surprised about his party. He never would have suspect anything like it. He hadn't ever really had a birthday party before, but now he was surrounded in a room with his family and closest friends. It was pretty touching to know all of them cared so much about him.

"How in the hell did you do all this? Daryl asked Carol once he finally had a minute alone with her.

"I can be sneaky when I wanna be."

"I see that." "How'd you talk Rick into letting Merle come over and how'd you talk Merle into coming?"

"I can be persuasive when I want to be to." She said with a smirk.

"You're something else, you know that." He said with a smile. "Thank you, no one's ever done anything like this for me before."

"I love you Daryl, so does everyone else here. You deserve this party."

Lori walked over to the two of them with Judith in her arms. "She wanted to tell you happy birthday too."

Daryl took the now four month old Judith in his arms. She had grown so much for the tiny premature infant she was when she was first born. You almost wouldn't guess she had such a rough start looking at her now.

"You wanted to tell me happy birthday, little ass kicker?" He said to the baby in a soft tone. Judith was just looking at Daryl and smiling and kicking her arms and legs as he talked to her.

"Daryl Dixon." Lori warned, if my daughter's first word is ass kicker, I'm sticking my foot up yours. She said it with a stern tone, but a smile was playing at the edge of her lips as she spoke the words.

()()()

The party was going well so far. Everyone was enjoying the food that Carol, Lori, Maggie, Michonne and Andrea had made. Carl and Sophia had made Daryl a cake, and it didn't turn out half bad. They had drawn a motorcycle on it with icing. Merle was mingling with Daryl's friends and he hadn't made an ass out of himself so far, other than when he hit on Andrea and Maggie and quickly got shut down.

Daryl was reaching in the cooler that was set out to grab a beer when he Glenn and Maggie approached him.

"We haven't had a chance to see you lately since we're both getting ready to graduate soon and we've been busy, but we're really happy that you and Carol got together." Glenn said.

"Yeah, me too." Daryl said with a sideways grin. "Oh,and uh, congratulations to you guys too on the engagement. Daryl added.

"Thanks." Maggie said beaming. "Are you and Carol going to come to the wedding in two months?"

"We'll be there." Daryl assured them.

Glenn and Maggie had gotten engaged a few months ago. They were both finishing up with college at the end of summer and wanted to get married immediately. Daryl was happy for them, they were both a lot younger than him and he didn't get to see them as much as he saw Rick and the others since they lived in the city and went to college there, but he liked them and considered them good friends.

()()()

Merle was leaned against the wall with a beer when Michonne approached him.

"So, how'd ya feel when that little plan of yours at the bar that night blew up in your face?" She asked.

"Nice move on your part that, night." Merle replied without answering her question. "I had no idea you knew Daryl."

"You were so drunk I doubt you had any idea about anything."

"You're right on that one." He replied with a quiet laugh. "Ya know, darling, thank you."

"For what?" She asked with raised eyebrows.

"For looking out for my brother that night." Merle said with a shrug. "He loves that woman and her little girl and they love him. I've never seen him happier."

She eyed him suspiciously like she was anticipating him to follow it up with a rude comment or snide remark, but he didn't.

"Anyway." Merle said changing the subject. "How's your friend from the bar that night?" Jennifer wasn't it?"

"Jessie." She corrected home.

"Whatever." Merle said. "You think she wants to take ole Merle home again for the night?"

Michonne didn't even bother to answer. She just shook her head and walked away laughing.

Daryl was in the corner watching the exchange between Merle and Michonne. He had no idea what they were talking about, but he noticed how she walked away laughing and shaking her head. He let out a small laugh at the site of it.

"What's so funny?" Carol asked.

"Nothing, just Merle." He said as he wrapped an arm around her and kissed her forehead.

"You enjoying your party?" She asked

"Mhm, and I'll show you how much it meant to me when we get home." He whispered in her ear.


	40. Chapter 40

"Do you even have anything to wear to Glenn and Maggie's wedding Saturday? Carol asked Daryl one evening before they were about to go to bed.

"Figured I'd just go like this" He said moving his hands up and down motioning over his sleeveless button up shirt. He was wearing a half grin as he said it.

"You better be kidding." She warned, and watched as the half grin turned into a whole one.

"What do you think I should wear?"

"We can go pick out something tomorrow. She suggested.

He grimaced. He hated shopping. He hated buying new clothes and he didn't want to spend tomorrow evening after work roaming the mall. "Can't you just pick something out for me?" You don't have to work tomorrow anyway."

"What if you don't like what I get you?"

"Whatever you get will be fine." He said confidently before adding, "Besides you can just take it off of me later and make up for it if I don't like it for some reason."

()()()

Saturday came fast and the two of them plus Sophia headed out to Herschel's farm for Glenn and Maggie's wedding. Daryl had given Carol his debit card earlier in the week and she had gotten him a long sleeved, dark blue button up shirt to wear to the wedding. She had said it would bring out his eyes. He didn't really mind the shirt, other than it was a summer time in Georgia and it was hot as hell. Thankfully, the wedding was later in the evening. She had suggested he get dress pants as well, but he didn't want to. He insisted it wasn't his wedding and he didn't have to be that dressed up. So, she settled on getting him a new pair of dark blue jeans to wear. He put on his best pair of boots for the occasion. She had been telling him all morning how handsome he looked, but he just scoffed at her. He had also told her to get something for her and Sophia if she wanted. He'd pretty much made it a habit out of buying stuff for the two of them whenever the chance arose. At first she would always tell him no. She wasn't used to men buying her things, Ed never bought anything for her. He wouldn't take no for an answer, and after being together five months now, she'd finally stopped arguing with him about it. He'd told her he did it because he loved her and she already had to pay for enough shit on her own with the house and being sole provider for Sophia.

The wedding itself wasn't going to be a large affair, mostly family and close friends. The majority of the people there that weren't family were from their close circle of friends. There were some familiar faces that Daryl and Carol didn't recognize, but they assumed they were their friends from college. They saw Lori, Rick, Carl and Judith shortly after they got there and walked up to them.

"Look at you all cleaned up." Rick joked when he saw Daryl. He hadn't seen his friend in a dress shirt before and it was rare to find him a new pair of jeans either.

Daryl narrowed his eyes at Rick. "She made me do it" He grumbled

"You look really nice, Daryl." Lori said with a smile. "Judith thinks so too." She added. She was holding the baby in her arms and she was looking at Daryl giggling.

Daryl gave Judith a small smile and reached out to grab her from Judith. Lori had her in a pink and white frilly dress. "You decided to get dressed up too, huh?" "I better not catch you with no boys." He joked.

Everyone laughed a little.

"You both look nice too." Rick added speaking to Carol and Sophia.

Carol had on a sleeveless dark blue dress the same color as Daryl's shirt. It was cut a little low, but not too low that you'd see her breast if she bent over. It came down to her knees and she was wearing a pair brown pair of boots with the dress. Sophia had on a yellow and white sundress with a flower patter on it. She also was dawning a pair of brown cowboy boots.

"They look beautiful." Daryl added quietly, as he slid his arm around Carol's waist and pulled her close. He didn't make a habit out of saying things like that in public, though he said them often in private. He just wasn't comfortable expressing his emotions in front of others.

Lori smiled at this. Seeing Carol and Daryl together made her so happy, despite how against it she was when they first met. He was good for her and Sophia and she had never seen her best friend happier.

"I like your dress, Sophia." Carl said with a smile. "You look really pretty."

"Thanks." Sophia said and immediately turned pink.

Daryl had noticed Carl looking at her when they walked up to them. She was 13 and ½ now and she was starting to look a lot less like a little girl and more like a young woman each day. Carl was changing too. He was taller than Sophia now and his voice had started changing. They were way past the point of having sleep overs now. Carol and Lori had agreed on that a few months ago. Daryl was relieved too. He knew she wasn't his daughter, but he loved her and he was protective of her. He loved Carl too, but he'd put his foot up the boy's ass over Sophia.

()()()

Carl and Sophia had gone off to find Beth, Rick and Daryl decided to go see the groom before the wedding, and Carol, Lori and Judith had gone off to find the bride. They wanted to give them their well wishes.

"You nervous?" Rick asked Glenn as he and Daryl entered the room.

"A little bit." Glenn admitted as he shoved his hands into the pockets of his tux.

"I was a wreck before my wedding to Lori. We were younger than you and Maggie. We got married straight out of school. We were just kids after I put that tux on I started wondering what the hell I was doing." Rick laughed. "Shane popped my upside the head one good time and drug me to the altar. I was still nervous and ready to run, but then I saw Lori walking down the aisle and it all went away. She was beautiful and I remembered then that I was doing this because I loved her more than anything and we would figure the rest out along the way."

Glenn gave his friend a small smile. "Thanks, Rick."

"We'll we better go, you got somewhere to be." Rick said as he patted his young friend on his shoulder.

"Don't worry, man. It's all gonna be good, like Rick said. " Daryl said as he gave him a soft slap on the back.

()()()

"You look beautiful, Maggie." Lori squealed as they walked into the room where the bride to be was.

Maggie turned around to face them. "Thanks." She said as she sniffled and wiped tears from her eyes.

"What's wrong?" Carol asked as she sat beside her friend and placed an arm around her.

"I was just thinking about my mom. I wish she was here to see me." She said wiping her eyes again.

Lori walked up and placed a hand on her shoulder. "I know you do. She'd be so proud of you. She loved you and Beth so much."

Maggie nodded, but couldn't bring herself to speak.

"She's right." Carol added. "I didn't know your mom, but you're a sweet, smart beautiful young woman and you picked a hell of a young man to marry. I'm sure she's looking down smiling on you."

()()()

The guests all took their seats to get ready for the wedding. The seats were actually hay bells and the altar was made out of oak from wood Herschel had chopped himself and it was placed under the largest tree on the farm. It was a simple, country themed wedding and Carol thought it was perfect. She was happy for Glenn and Maggie. They were so in love, and had been since the moment they met. They had supported one another through college and they pushed each other to be the best that they could be. Their love was self-less and beautiful and it wasn't something a lot of young people have today. Hell, it wasn't something a lot of people have at all these days. Her marriage sure as hell hadn't been self-less or even loving. She watched Glenn as he stood up at the altar. He looked like a young boy, not a 24 year old man. He was standing stiff and rigid. She knew he was tense. His demeanor immediately changed the moment Maggie walked down the aisle with Herschel. A smile played across his face and he loosened up. Whatever worry he had dissipated at the sight of his soon to be wife.

She watched them stand hand in hand, both smiling like idiots the entire time, as Father Gabriel recited a Bible verse. "1 Corinthians 13:4 -7 states, Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud, it does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil, but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres."

As Father Gabriel finished reciting the verse, she felt Daryl slip his hand in hers and give it a tight squeeze. She looked up at him and smiled and he was looking back at her doing the same. She thought the verse was beautiful and a perfect description of what love should be. Her marriage with Ed had been nothing like anything recited in that verse. It was horrible. It was a nightmare. Ed was dishonorable and self-seeking. He was a hateful, angry person. As she looked eyes with Daryl after he gripped her hand she thought about their relationship. She thought about how kind he was to her and Sophia, about how he had been protecting her almost since he met her, how he was one of the most humble, self-less people she had met. She loved him more than she ever thought she could. They had only been together five months, but she had almost known him for a year now. She had never thought she would want to get married again after Ed, but she knew then if Daryl ever asked her, she'd say yes. She had no idea if he would ever want that, and she'd never push for it, but if he ever did, she'd want it too.

()()()

Maggie and Glenn were pronounced man and wife and a reception followed in the barn. Everyone had been running around giving their congratulations and indulging in food and drink. After they ate Daryl took an opportunity to sneak off and grab a cigarette.

"You alright?" Rick asked, as he walked over to tree Daryl was sitting under a few feet away from the barn.

"Mhm." Daryl replied as he took a hit off of his cigarette.

"You sure?" Rick asked. Daryl was sitting down with his knees up, but he seemed tense, nervous almost.

"I'm good."

"Alright, I just wanted to check on ya when I saw you walk out." Rick said as he turned around to go back to the reception.

"Hey, Rick?" Daryl called out.

"Yeah."

"I think I'mma ask Carol to marry me…"


	41. Chapter 41

**(Forgot to thank everyone last chapter for reading. So, as always, thanks. I just watched the mid-season finale. Bummed we have to wait until February for more. Especially since it was left on a cliff hanger. Man, I really need more hobbies….)**

Rick stood frozen in place. He hadn't expected Daryl to say that all. He knew they were happy together and got along well, but marriage was a huge step. "Seriously?" Rick managed to say.

Daryl nodded his head and took another hit of the cigarette. Rick came down and sat beside his friend.

"How long have you been thinking about this?" Rick asked.

"A while." Daryl confessed.

"Do you have a ring?"

"No, not yet. I wanted to talk to Sophia about it before I got one. I gotta make sure she's okay with it." "It affects her too, ya know?"

Rick nodded. He admired that Daryl was considering her feelings in this too. "You have my blessing, not that you need it."

"Thanks." Daryl said as smashed the cigarette into the ground. "I never thought I'd even be thinking about getting married." Daryl admitted. "Me and her, that's it though. Has been since the night we got together. All thanks to you and that damn radiator hose." Daryl snorted.

Rick couldn't help but laugh thinking back to the day they met. He never would have guessed Daryl would become one of his best friends and end up dating a woman who was like family to him.

"Don't tell no one about this. Not even Lori. I don't want her to expect anything."

"Does anyone else know?"

"No one. But I am gonna talk to Sophia about all this soon." He said as he ran a hand through his hair.

Rick could tell that Daryl was nervous about all of this. Being vulnerable and open were not things that Daryl Dixon was often. "If you need any help talking to her, let me know. I'm sure she's gonna be fine with it though."

"Even if she is, it don't mean Carol will say yes."

Rick was about to reply when he heard a voice call out.

"You're not done with that cigarette yet." Carol asked as she walked towards Rick and Daryl.

"Just been talking to Rick for a minute." He replied.

"Everything okay?" She asked, noticing the seriousness in the air between them.

Rick looked to Daryl and then up to Carol. "Never better, right Daryl?" Rick said as he pushed himself up off the ground and got up to walk away.

Carol noticed Daryl still sitting down and extended her hands to his to help him up. He placed them in hers as she gave him a gentle tug and he pushed himself up off of his feet. "Yeah, never better." He said as he intertwined his hands with hers and leaned down to meet her lips with his.

()()()

Daryl had been a nervous wreck since telling Rick he wanted to ask Carol to marry him at Glenn and Maggie's wedding. Somehow, saying it out loud to another person made it seem real. It being real meant that things weren't necessarily going to go as well as he wanted them to. Sophia may not be okay with her mom getting married again. Carol may not even want to get married again. He knew how bad her first marriage had been. Hell, he'd never been married before, but his own parent's marriage had him convinced for most of his life that marriage wasn't something he'd ever want to be a part of.

It was Tuesday now and Carol was at work and would be until about 8 or so. It was summertime, and Sophia was spending the day at soccer camp. Daryl had volunteered to pick her up this afternoon. He wanted the opportunity to talk to her about asking her mom to marry him before lost his nerve and pussied out.

"You wanna help me get the kitchen cleaned up for your mom and make some tacos?" Daryl asked Sophia once they got back to the house.

"Sure." She said as she followed Daryl to the kitchen. Sophia worked on a few dirty dishes in the sink and Daryl threw some hamburger meet in the frying pan for the tacos. The two worked in silence to begin with. Daryl was having a hard time trying to figure out how to start this conversation.

"You're being weird." Sophia said as she pulled out a head of lettuce and started to chop it up for the tacos.

"Pfft. I am not." He replied as he chopped up some tomatoes.

"You've barely said anything all afternoon and I'm pretty sure you're not gonna have a lip left if you keep chewing it like that." Sophia pointed out.

She wasn't that shy kid he met almost a year ago. She'd grown into a confident and spirited 13 and ½ year old and whenever she called him out on his bullshit like she was now, he swore she looked just like her mom. She'd cut her eyes at him the same exact way Carol did. He put the knife down that he was using to chop the tomatoes and sighed.

"Can we talk?" He asked and motioned for her to go sit down at the table.

She gave him a nervous look, but didn't protest. She placed her knife down too and pulled a chair out from under the table.

He ran his hands through his hair. He really hoped that this was going to go well.

"Daryl?" "What's wrong?" She asked in a panicked tone.

"Nothing, Sophia." He said in a reassuring voice. He hadn't meant to freak her out. "I just need to talk to you about something.

"Oh, God. This isn't about Carl is it?" "Look, mom already gave me the sex talk and…"

"Just stop right there." He said grimacing. "This ain't about Carl…or that. That's not my area, that's all your mom right there." He said turning beet red.

Sophia blushed too and let out a small laugh. "Sorry." "What's the big deal then?"

"Well, you know I love your mom a lot, right?"

"Yeah. I'm the one who catches you guys making out all the time, remember?"

"Shut up." He said with a small grin. "Anyway, your mom and me, well, I been doing a lot of thinking lately and I, uh, well I uh…"

Sophia eyed him impatiently. She didn't know where this was going and it was starting to make her nervous.

"I wanna ask your mom to marry me…" He finally said barely above a whisper.

Her eyes grew wide. "Seriously?"

He nodded. "Yeah, but before I do, I wanted to make sure it was okay with you. I know it ain't just about us. As much as I love her, I need you to be okay with it too. I, uh, He said as he rubbed the back of his neck, well, I care about you a lot too and I don't want you to be uncomfortable in your own home.

Sophia began to smile. She liked Daryl a lot. He came to her soccer and softball games, he picked her up from school, took her hunting, bought her stuff. He did all the things most of her friend's dads did for them. Stuff her dick head of a dad never did for her. She thought that he was cool and most of all he treated her mom great. She saw how happy her mom had been since she met him and she was happy her mom was happy. She deserved to be. They all did.

"I think that'd be awesome." She said without hesitation.

"Really?" "Are you sure?" "You know I'd be here all the time if we got married."

"I know, but you're here almost all the time anyway." She reminded him.

"I'd be your step-dad…"

"Yeah, I know, but you kinda do all that step-dad stuff anyway. I mean, some of my friend's own dad's aren't around as much as you are."

"You're really okay with it then?" He said hopefully.

"I am." She replied.

"Good." He said as he let out a sigh of relief. "Don't tell your mom or anyone, okay?"

"I won't, your secret's safe with me." She assured him. "Oh, and Daryl, I love you too." She said as she got up and started to cut the lettuce again.

He raised his eyebrows at her. He hadn't told her he loved her. He never had. As many times as he told Carol that he hadn't ever told Sophia. He didn't want to tell her and it be weird for her and in all honesty, Carol was the only person he had ever said those three words to aside from Merle when they were both fucked up out of their minds. She had picked up on the fact that it was what he wanted to say when he nervously told her that he cared a lot about her.

()()()

The next day Daryl had stopped by Rick's after work. He asked him to come to the garage with him so they could talk in private.

"I talked to Sophia."

"How'd that go?" Rick wondered aloud.

"She's cool with it."

"Hell yeah. I'm happy for you, man."

"Thanks." Daryl said as he reached into his pocket and pulled out a tiny box. "Check this out." He said as he handed Rick the box.

"Wow!" Rick said as he opened it up and looked at the ring inside. "Maybe I should quit the force and come work with T-Dog." He joked.

"I been saving most of my money since I got the job. I don't really have any bills other than utilities and groceries and gas. Plus, Merle's been living there the last six months. I've just put most of it back." He shrugged.

Rick looked the ring over again. It was a diamond solitaire in a white gold band. If he had to guess, he would say the diamond was 1 or 1 and ¼ ct. He knew the ring wasn't cheap by any means "You did a good job. She'll love it." Rick said as he handed him the ring back. "So, when are you gonna ask her?"

"Next month will be six months since we first got together. I plan on asking her then.


	42. Chapter 42

**(I'm kind of sad that this story is almost over. I am guessing around the 50 chapter mark will be the end, but I haven't mapped out how far into the future I am going to go yet or what the end will be exactly. I really didn't know it would get this long, but I've enjoyed writing it. I hope that you all have enjoyed reading it. Sometimes it was hard to know where to take things or if I should go some places with the story, in the end I just always went with what I felt was right for the direction I wanted to end up in.)**

It had been two weeks since Daryl had gotten Sophia's approval to ask Carol to marry him. The next day he had gone and picked out a ring. He was planning on asking her to marry him next week on their six month anniversary and he had never been more excited or nervous in his life. He hadn't told anyone other than Sophia or Rick. He didn't want it to get out and Carol to somehow find out. He hadn't even told his own brother, and a part of him almost wished he didn't have to tell Merle anything until after the wedding was over and done with. He had a horrible reaction when they first started dating, and even though Merle and Carol had learned to get along and Merle had developed a sort of uncle type relationship with Sophia, he wasn't sure his brother was going to be okay with him getting married and moving out for good.

"I think I'm gonna go back to my place after work tonight." Daryl told Carol that morning as he was getting ready for work.

"Tired of me already after being here all weekend?" She joked.

"I don't ever get tired of ya." He replied. "I just need to go make sure Merle hasn't gotten into any shit or nothing while I been gone."

"You never know with Merle." She replied. "He probably hasn't been home all weekend anyway. I'm sure he's found some girl to hole up with since you've been gone."

"You're probably right on that." He laughed. "Anyway, I gotta go, I'll be back tomorrow night. I love ya." He said as he walked up beside her and gave her a quick kiss.

"Love you too."

()()()

Daryl headed off to work and Carol went to wake Sophia up to get ready for school. She and Carl had started back the week before. Carol could hardly believe that the two of them were in 8th grade already.

"Daryl's gonna stay at his place tonight, so I will just pick you up from Rick and Lori's when I get off work." She told her daughter.

"I was starting to think he just moved in." Sophia joked.

"Would it be weird for you if he ever did?" Carol asked curiously

Sophia looked shocked. She halfway wondered if Daryl had asked her mom to marry him a little earlier than planned. "Why?" She asked cautiously.

"No reason, really. I just figured one day it might happen. He spends less and less time at his place these days."

"I'd be okay with it if it ever happens." Sophia replied

"Good." Carol said with a smile. "I'm glad you and him get along so well. Now let's get you to school."

()()()

Merle was stopped at a red light on his way to the body shop that morning. He had found a woman at the bar Friday night and they had spent the weekend drinking and fooling around. More often than not, Daryl spent 5 days a week at Carol's place now. Merle would stop after work and visit with them some nights, but he really hated being at that damn shack alone all the time. He was really starting to think about getting another place, one closer to work. He wondered if Daryl would move in with Carol for good if he did that. He assumed if he wasn't around, Daryl would already be living with her. Maybe he'd talk to him about it tonight. Suddenly, Merle was broken out of his thoughts by the sound of loud bang. He looked past the car in front of him and noticed two cars had been involved in a crash. He recognized one of the cars immediately.

"'Shit." Merle said, then jumped off of his bike and ran towards the accident. He noticed that the unfamiliar car had t-bone'd the driver's side of the car he recognized. The driver's side door was smashed in so he made his way over to the passenger's side. "You okay?" He asked in a panicked tone as he yanked the door open.

"I, I think so." Sophia replied between tears. "My wrist hurts tho."

Merle looked her over really good and then nodded. "You're gone be alright."

Sophia looked over to her mother who was slumped over on the side. "Mom!" She screamed.

"You think you're okay to get out the car so I can check on her."

Sophia didn't answer, but unbuckled on hopped out.

"Carol!" "Carol!" Merle yelled as he placed a hand her shoulder. He saw blood coming from her forehead and he felt a catch in his throat. "Dammit, Carol, please say something." He begged.

Finally she shifted a bit and opened her eyes. "Merle?" She asked confused.

He let out a sigh of relief. "You alright, darling?"

"I don't think so, I opened my eyes and you're here, so I must've died and gone to hell." She joked and then gave a weak smile.

"Hmm." Merle managed to get out. "Yeah, you're gone be alright." He reached into his pocket and called 911.

()()()

Rick and Shane heard the crash called in over the radio and arrived on the scene shortly after the ambulance. Rick saw Merle standing to the side with Sophia and ran over there.

"What happened?" Rick said frantically

"I was sitting at the red light and I heard this crash, looked up and noticed it was Carol's car. Think the other people ran the light and t-bone'd em."

"You okay, Sophia?" Rick asked.

"I think so, but my wrist hurts." She said holding it.

"The ambulance is gonna check you out once they get your mom loaded up. They can take you both to the hospital and we will be there shortly." He assured her.

The ambulance left with both Carol and Sophia and headed to the hospital. Rick, Merle and Shane stood around for a minute.

"I need to go find Daryl." Merle said. "He won't need to drive. If call him and tell him over the phone. he'll freak out."

You're right." Rick agreed. "Do you know where he's working today?"

"I haven't seen him all weekend, but I think it's those new apartment complexes. I think they were still finishing putting in the floors they started last week."

"Why don't you go with him, Rick?" Shane suggested. "I'll explain what happened and get Sasha to come in and cover for ya."

"You sure?" He asked Shane.

"Yeah, go on ahead."

"Can I ride with you?" Rick looked to Merle.

Merle nodded. He figured he might need help keeping Daryl calm.

()()()

Merle pulled up to the apartment complex with Rick on the back of his motorcycle. They saw T-Dog's truck outside and happened to catch the crew headed to the back of the truck for supplies. They slowly started walking towards them.

"What the hell is going on?" Daryl asked. Seeing Rick and Merle showing up on his job site together couldn't have been a good sign.

Merle looked to Rick. He was sure as an officer he had experience telling families that their loved ones were in accidents.

"I don't want you to panic, everything's okay…" Rick said carefully. "But there's been an accident…"

"Accident?" "What do you mean an accident?"

Rick noticed Daryl's breathing increase and saw the fear in his voice was apparent.

"Carol and Sophia.."

"Are they okay?" He screamed, his voice cracking as if he was on the verge of tears. "I said are they okay?" He asked again before they could answer.

Merle jumped in this time. "Calm down little brother, they're gone be okay. I think Sophia may have a broken or sprained wrist."

"'And Carol?" He demanded.

"She was knocked out when I first got there. She hit her head I think. Her forehead was busted, but she came to and was busting my balls when she realized it was me. They took them to be checked out."

Daryl turned to look at T-Dog and the others. They stood there silently, all had pained looks on their face.

"Go." T-Dog said. "Call me and let me know how they are."

Daryl nodded and somehow the three of them managed to pile on Merle's bike for the ride to the hospital.

()()()

Daryl bolted into the door of the emergency room and headed straight to the woman in charge of intake

"I'm Daryl Dixon. My girlfriend, Carol Peletier and her daughter Sophia, they were in a car accident and brought here, can you tell me how they are."

"I'll go see if I can find someone to talk to you." She said.

Daryl stood in the room pacing back and forth.

"It's gonna be alright, Daryl." Rick said trying to console him.

"But what if it ain't."

"It will be." Merle said firmly.

"If something happened to her, I…"

"It won't. She's gonna be fine."

Just then Carol's friend Tara walked through the emergency room door followed by a man who appeared to be a doctor.

"Which one of you is Ms. Peletier's boyfriend? He asked.

"I am." Daryl said and stepped forward.

"I'm Dr. Porter." He said extending his hand. "You can call me Eugene if ya want though. I know Carol and she'd probably tell ya to call me Eugene."

Daryl shook his hand and gave him an annoyed look. He didn't give two shits what his name was, he just wanted to know how Carol and Sophia were. "How's Carol and Sophia."

"Sophia's good. She has a sprained wrist, but it'll heal on up fine. We're just gonna put a little splint on it."

"And Carol?"

"They are stitching up her forehead now. She busted it open in the accident. They did a CT scan too, she has a concussion, but no bleeding on the brain. She's lucky. It could have been a lot worse."

Daryl exhaled. "Thank God. Can I go see them?"

"Give us about ten more minutes with them and you can all go back. Oh and by the way, the baby is fine too."

Daryl, Rick and Merle all froze in place.

"Baby?" "She ain't got no baby." Daryl replied with raised eyebrows.

"You didn't know?" "Well this is awkward." Eugene stated

"Know what!" Daryl demanded.

"She's five weeks pregnant." Eugene forced himself to say.


	43. Chapter 43

**(I hope I haven't lost any readers from any of my story arcs and I hope that most people are still enjoying this. Here's the next one.)**

 _Five weeks pregnant? Five weeks pregnant? Five weeks pregnant?_ That statement kept playing back in Daryl's head over and over again. His heart rate increased, his breathing quickened, he felt dizzy and his entire body felt heavy. He couldn't speak, he couldn't move. He stood frozen in place, momentarily forgetting the presence of Rick, Merle, Dr. Eugene, and Tara.

Daryl? Daryl? Rick called out.

Are you okay? Tara asked.

Are you prone to panic attacks? Eugene asked.

Say something, little brother? Merle said.

Daryl could hear voices, but he had no idea what they were saying. "I uh, I gotta go smoke." Daryl said as he headed for the door.

Rick went to follow after him, but Merle placed a hand on his chest and stopped him.

"Let me handle this one." Merle said.

Rick locked eyes with Merle. He knew Daryl was freaked out and upset. He had heard Daryl say before that he didn't want kids. Add this news to the emotional state he had been in this morning worrying about Carol and Sophia after the wreck and Rick knew that Daryl needed to handled delicately right now. He didn't think Merle was the man for that job, and honestly he wondered if Merle would tell him to bolt. He knew how against their relationship Merle had been in the first place.

"I'm not so sure that's a good idea." Rick told Merle.

"Trust me, this is a Dixon thing. You wouldn't even know how to handle it."

"If you screw his head up, if you make him do something to hurt Carol, or Sophia or this baby, I'll make your life a living hell." "You understand me?" Rick harshly warned the elder Dixon.

"That a threat, officer.

"It' a promise."

()()()

Merle headed outside to the curb where Daryl was sitting, looking off aimlessly into the distance and smoking a cigarette.

"You alright, daddy?" He said with a smirk as he came and sat beside his younger brother.

Daryl looked up at him and narrowed his eyes. ""Really?" "They let you come out here to talk to me."

"What' that supposed to mean?" Merle asked offended.

"It means I don't need none of your bullshit right now. My head's fucked up enough, I don't need you saying shit to make it worse."

"Oh, trust me, I'm gonna tell you some shit, and you ain't gone like it, but it ain't gone be what you think."

"You gone tell me you was right?" "That you told me she'd get knocked up?"

"Nope." Merle said as he pulled out a cigarette of his own and lit it.

"You gone tell me to leave and get out while I can because I ain't good enough to be no kids daddy?"

"Nope." Merle said as he took a long drag.

"What the hell are you gone say then?"

"That you need to grow up and be a man." His brother said simply.

"What?" Daryl said confused.

"You knocked her up, you're gonna be a daddy whether you like it or not, so you need to stop all this freaking out bullshit and be there for that woman you say you love so much."

"If you were having a kid wouldn't you be freaking out?"

"Hell yeah, but that's because I ain't cut out for that shit."

"Neither am I."

"And why not?"

"I don't know how to be a dad." "What if I screw up?" "What if I…."

"Don't even say it, don't even think it." Merle warned him. "You ain't him, you never were and never will be."

"Merle…."

"I mean it, Daryl. You ain't him. Everything wrong he did, you learned from it. You wouldn't ever hurt that woman your with, you wouldn't hurt your daughter and I know you damn sure wouldn't hurt your own blood."

"He probably thought that too, what if he really loved our mom once, what if he loved us once.."

"He didn't." Merle hissed. "He was a sorry ass piece of shit, just like the man Carol's ex-husband, but that ain't you."

"I don't know.."

"That baby, it's a part of you. It's gonna be your son or daughter. It's a Dixon. You gotta do right by it, and you will. Just like you've been doing for Carol and Sophia. It's all gone be alright, little brother. It's a good thing, I'm gonna be an uncle." Merle said with a smile.

"You being an uncle is scarier than me being a dad." Daryl joked.

()()()

Daryl made his way back into the hospital and was shown to Sophia's room first. Sophia ran and hugged him.

"You alright." He said as he wrapped an arm around her.

"Yeah." She replied quietly.

"I'm glad you're okay. When Merle showed up and told me what happened it scared the hell out of me."

"I was scared too." She said as a tear ran down her cheek.

He stayed with Sophia a few more minutes and then Rick and Merle came to sit with her so he could go see Carol.

He walked in the room and saw her. Her forehead had fresh stiches in it, but overall she looked to be okay.

"Hey." He said as he came and sat beside her. He bit his lip hard, thinking of what could have happened and how bad things could have been.

"Hey." She said weakly.

He placed his hands on hers and leaned his head over onto her chest.

"You scared the hell out of me." He said as his eyes filled with tears.

"I'm fine." She assured him a she ran her hands through his hair.

"If something happened, I…"

"Nothing happened, I'm fine. My head hurts like hell, but I'm fine."

He nodded. "I love you. You and Sophia are my world. You know that right?"

"I know and I love you too."

He gently raised his head off of her chest and looked her in the eyes. He was still holding her hands. He was breathing harder now and his heart rate had climbed up again.

"Did you know….." he paused before adding, "…about the baby."

She took a deep breath and her face contorted.

I didn't know, but I suspected. I was late, and I'm never late."

"Why didn't you say anything?" He asked softly.

"I didn't want you to be mad." She said quietly as tears filled her voice. "I know you didn't want kids. We haven't even been together six full month yet."

"I ain't mad." He said softly. "I'm scared shitless, but I ain't mad."

"You're not?"

He shook his head. "I love you and I love Sophia and this kid, it's my kid. I'm gonna be there for it. I'm gonna love the hell out of it and give it everything I never had."


	44. Chapter 44

**(Thanks for the reviews. Here's one more for tonight.)**

The hospital had discharged Carol and Sophia and let them go home. The doctor from the emergency room had told Carol that she needed to follow up with an OB/GYN in a few weeks to get a check up on the baby. Daryl was initially planning on going home tonight, but after the accident and finding out about the baby he decided to stay with Carol.

"You alright?" Carol asked Daryl as they lay in bed that night. She was laying her head on his chest and had her arms wrapped around his waist.

"Shouldn't I be asking you that?" "You're the one who has a concussion."

"I told you, I'm fine. I've got nine lives." She joked.

"Hmm. You better stop trying to go through them." He said as gently kissed her forehead, careful not to get near her stitches

"Are you sure you're okay about the baby?" She asked, returning to the original reason she had asked if he was okay.

"I'm sure."

"You're not going to freak out, not even a little?" She questioned.

"What makes you think I'd do that?"

"Because I know you, Daryl Dixon, and if you're gonna freak out I'd rather deal with it now instead of waiting for it to hit you while I'm pushing a baby out of me."

"I'm not gonna freak out." He said rather calmly. "I already did that before I went back and talked to you."

"Rick calm you down?" She asked.

"No, Merle did."

"Merle?" She said in disbelief.

"Yeah, he told me I needed to grow up and stop freaking out. That I needed to do right by you, Sophia and the baby."

"Merle said that?"

"Yeah, I was surprised too. I figured he was gonna make things worse. He told me when we first started dating that you'd get pregnant to trap me."

"You know that's not what this is, right?" She said defensively.

"I know that." He said in an assuring tone. "I need to ask though, I thought that thing in your arm was still good for a while."

"It is…or was supposed to be. Eugene said that when I was on antibiotics a few weeks back it could have effected it. I wasn't thinking about the drug interactions. I wouldn't trick you, Daryl. I wouldn't have done it on purpose. I know you didn't want this."

"You couldn't trap me, I wasn't going anywhere anyway. You've been stuck with me since that first night. I know you wouldn't do anything like that, it's my fault too. I mean, it took two of us."

"You're gonna be a great dad." "You know that, right?" She said as she shifted in bed and let her eyes meet his.

He looked away, because he didn't know that, not at all. He knew he was going to try and that he'd do everything he could to make sure this kid had everything he didn't, but in the back of his mind he was still terrified he'd screw this up.

"I'm gonna try to be." He said earnestly.

"You're going to be. You already act like a dad to Sophia. You've done more for her than Ed ever did and you love her. You'd do anything for her. I know you're going to be great with this baby too." She said as she took his hand in hers and moved it down over her stomach.

As he held his hand over her stomach the realization that his unborn child was in there washed over him. This was half him and half her. He wondered if it would be a boy or a girl. Would it look like him or would it look like her? Would it resemble Sophia any? What would Sophia think about her mom being pregnant? Would she think that this is why he wanted to marry her?

She noticed the way he was looking at her and the way he would steal glances down at her belly. She knew he was overthinking something, but she didn't know what. She leaned into him and kissed him softly on the lips.

"It's all going to be okay." She said when as she pulled away.

He nodded. "As long I have you it always will be. He said as he kissed her back.

()()()

The next day Carol stayed home from work and Sophia stayed home from school. Daryl had asked if she wanted him to call in, but she insisted they were fine and that he go in to work. She heard a knock on the door not long after Daryl left and was surprised to see who was behind it.

"Merle?"

"Hey darling." He said as he handed her a bouquet of flowers and a basket of fruit.

"What's all this? She asked confused.

"It's my way of saying congratulations."

"Shh." She said as she pressed a finger to her lips. "We haven't told Sophia yet, we aren't telling anyone yet. Only you and Rick know."

"I'm honored."

"Don't be. If Eugene didn't have such a big mouth you and Rick wouldn't know."

"That anyway to talk to your child's uncle." He whispered.

She gave him a look like she would smack him square in the jaw, but softened a bit.

"Thanks for talking to Daryl and calming him down. He told me that he freaked out at first."

"No problem." He said. "He lets all his daddy issues get the best of him sometimes. He'll do right by you though."

"I know he will." She said with a smile.

"You mind if I go say hey to Sophia and see how she's feeling before I go to work?"

"Go ahead."

()()()

When Daryl got back to T-Dog' that afternoon to pick up his bike after work he saw Rick waiting for him.

"Can you come by the house for a sec?" Rick asked.

"Yeah." Daryl said, as the two of them headed toward the direction of Rick's home

"I went and saw Carol and Sophia earlier, they seem to be doing pretty good."

"Yeah, they are. The car not so much." Daryl said.

"They think it can be fixed?"

"Probably, but I'm kind of thinking about getting her something else, because of the baby."

"You alright with that?" "You seemed a little freaked out yesterday."

"I gotta be. Can't change it now. It's my kid, I'm gonna do right by it."

"I know ya will." Rick said with a smile. "Are you still gonna ask her to marry you?"

"Yeah. I got more of a reason now than ever before." He replied. "I just don't want her or anyone else to think I'm just doing it because of the baby."

"People are gonna think what they want, Daryl. Don't let worrying about that stop you."

"I'm not. I'm still planning on doing it on our six month anniversary next week."

"Good."

"Hey, Rick, don't tell nobody about the baby yet." "We aren't ready to tell Sophia yet."

"I won't. It's your business to tell, not mine."

"Thanks."

"You know what's cool?"

"What's that?"

"Judith and your kid are gonna be pretty close in age."


	45. Chapter 45

**(Here's the next one. Thank for reading and reviewing. I do have a tendency to focus on Daryl's POV and emotions first, I guess it's probably due to major crush on his character, haha. I'm gonna address Carol's feelings too, though. Sophia would've been first to know, after Daryl of course, if it wasn't for Dr. Eugene.)**

The last week had gone by pretty well. Carol's headaches that she had after suffering the concussion were pretty much gone by now, but she still had stitches in her head from the accident that wouldn't come out until next week. Sophia still had her arm in a splint from spraining her wrist, but the doctor said it could take a few weeks to completely heal. Daryl hadn't spent a night away from their house since the accident. He'd go back to his place to see Merle after work on the nights Carol had to work, but he'd always come back and stay at her place.

Carol woke up early Friday morning and noticed Daryl wasn't in bed with her any more. She heard voices in the kitchen and got up to see what was going on. Once she made her way into the kitchen she saw Sophia sitting at the table, still in her pajamas talking to Daryl while he was scrapping eggs from a pan onto plates. He looked up and met her eyes and gave her a smile.

"Morning." He said. "I made ya breakfast."

She was smiling at him and thinking how sweet he was when it hit her. The smell of the food suddenly became extremely nauseating and she couldn't hold it in. She took off towards the bathroom.

Sophia looked to Daryl and raised her eyebrows. "Guess your little anniversary breakfast wasn't a hit then."

"Will you get the bacon out of the microwave when it goes off?" "I'm gonna go check on your mom."

()()()

He made his way through her bedroom and into the bathroom. He saw her leaning over the toilet hurling.

"You alright?" He asked softly

"Morning sickness. She replied. "I was hoping I'd get lucky and not have it with this baby. I stayed sick the first three months with Sophia."

He walked up behind her and started rubbing her back. "Is there anything I can do for ya?"

"Will you start the shower for me and drop Sophia off at school."

"Sure thing." He said. "We don't have to go away this weekend if you're not feeling up to it."

"This will pass, I won't be like this all day. I still wanna go. I wanna celebrate being with you six months." She said with a small smile.

"Alright. If you're sure. I'm sorry my food made you sick. I wanted to do something nice for ya."

"I guess the baby doesn't like eggs." She joked.

"Guess not." He laughed.

"Happy six month anniversary, Daryl, I love you."

"I love you too." He said as he kissed the top of her head.

()()()

Is mom okay? Sophia asked when Daryl came back into the kitchen.

"Yeah, she just isn't feeling too good this morning. She's getting a shower and I'm gonna take you to school."

"You think she has a virus or something?" Sophia asked.

"Yeah…or something." Daryl said. "Do you have everything you need to take to Beth's with you this weekend?"

"Yeah, I've got my bag." "So you guys are leaving today and will be back on Monday, right?"

"Yeah. If you need anything just call us. We can come back sooner if we need to."

"I think I'll be fine. You guys go and have fun." She looked around the corner to make sure she didn't see her mom. She could hear the shower going still so she decided it was safe to bring up. "Are you still gonna ask her this weekend?" Sophia said with a grin.

"Planning on it." Daryl said as he grabbed a plate and threw some bacon on it and sat down to eat.

()()()

Daryl had booked a cabin in the Blue Ridge Mountains for them from Friday until Monday. T-Dog was going to be out of town for a family members wedding all weekend, so everyone had until Tuesday off. Carol had taken some vacation time from work to have Friday and Monday off. He had reserved a one bedroom cabin that overlooked a creek. It had a hammock and a hot tub on the deck. It was secluded and there weren't any other cabins close by. He'd had this planned since before he knew she was pregnant, but now that he knew he realized that some of their activities he had planned while they were there would have to change. He didn't think going white water rafting was the best idea for them now and he wasn't sure horseback riding was a good idea either.

"This place is so beautiful." Carol said as she stepped out on to the back deck of the cabin. She could hear the water flowing in the creek and they had a nice view of the mountains from the deck.

"Glad you like it." He said as he stepped behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist.

"I love it. It's perfect."

()()()

Friday evening they had spent some time settling in. They'd spent some time in the hot tub and had gone to dinner at a place called Sue' Cafeteria and Ice Cream Parlor. It supposedly had the best BBQ in town. On Saturday they had gone on a hike and ended up at Benton Falls. It was a waterfall along the Appalachian Trail. After that they had gone kayaking down the Toccoa River. When they got back to the cabin that evening Daryl had thrown some steaks and baked potatoes on the grill.

"You ain't gone throw up this time are you?" He joked.

"I think we're safe for now." She said as she took a bite of her baked potato.

"You feeling alright?" We didn't do too much earlier did we?"

"I'm fine. I had fun."

"Yeah, me too. That damn kayak I had was a bitch though. Stupid thing kept flipping over every time I'd move."

()()()

The two had managed to climb into the hammock after eating. It was dark now and it was a clear night, there wasn't a cloud in sight. You could see stars everywhere and a crescent moon was hanging in the sky.

"You're pretty romantic when you wanna be, you know that?" She told him as she lay wrapped up in his arms in the hammock.

"Pfft. I ain't romantic."

"Keep telling yourself that." She said as she nuzzled closer to him.

"I'm gonna go get something to drink. You want anything?" He asked.

"I'm fine right now. Thanks though."

She got out of the hammock first so it wouldn't flip over and watched him head into the kitchen. She turned and walked over to the railing on the deck and looked out towards the creek. It was so peaceful up here, so serine.

"Great view, huh." He said as he walked up beside her.

"It really is."

He swallowed hard and then turned her to face him. "You know, these last six months, they've been the best six months of my life. Hell, this last year since I met you has been the best year of my life."

"Mine too." She said with a smile as she took his hands in hers.

"I never thought that I'd fall in love with anyone or that anyone would fall in love with me. Then I met you and everything changed. I can't imagine my life without you and I wouldn't want to…you're…..you're my best friend and the best thing that ever happened to me." He said as he slowly moved himself down and dropped to one knee. He reached into his pocket and went to pull out the ring. I love you and I'm always going to…will you…will you marry me?

She was still holding onto his hands as he was saying all of this and she couldn't believe that he was saying it. She'd known since Glenn and Maggie's wedding that she wanted to marry him, but she wasn't sure if he'd ever want to get married. She hadn't wanted to bring it up and scare him though, but now here he was proposing to her on their six month anniversary. She nodded her head, unable to speak at first. "Yes." She finally managed to get out. "Of course I'll marry you, Daryl Dixon. She said with a huge smile on her face

He slid the ring on her finger and then leapt to his feet and kissed her. He had been so scared to ask her that. He didn't know what she was going to say and the thought of her saying no terrified him, although he would have understood why if she had. But she didn't say no, she said yes, and they were going to get married and be together forever and they were going to have a baby and he'd never been more scared and excited and happy at the same time before in his life.

()()()

The kissing had only intensified and the two had ended up in bed together. They had both been exhausted between hiking and kayaking and both fell asleep pretty fast after. Daryl shifted in bed in the wee morning hours and went to pull her closer to him, but no one was there. He sat up in bed and wondered if she had gotten sick again. He figured he'd go check on her, but didn't find her in the bathroom. He walked to the kitchen to see if she was getting something to drink, but she wasn't there either. He finally noticed her out on the deck sitting in a rocking chair. He walked outside to join her.

"You alright?" He asked as he took a seat in the chair beside her.

"I'm fine."

"You don't sound fine."

She didn't answer him and was looking off into the distance, staring out towards the creek.

"Carol, what's wrong?" He asked as he grabbed her hand.

"I didn't think about it at first." She finally said. "I was just so happy that you asked. I'd known for a while that if you ever asked I'd say yes, so I was so excited when you did that I didn't think about it"

"Think about what?" He said confused.

"That you're only asking me because of the baby." She said in a hurt tone.

"What?" "No, that's not why I asked you."

"You don't have to say that to make me feel better. I just don't wanna get married just because of the baby." She said on the verge of tears. "Sophia is why Ed and I got married and I don't want that to be why you and I get married..."

"It's not.." He began, but she cut him off.

"You know, I haven't told you this, but I'm scared too, Daryl."

"Scared of what?"

"Having another baby….what's going to happen with us…"

She didn't have to spell it out to him once she said that. He knew what she was talking about. She had told him how Ed had seemed fine until after she got pregnant and he felt like the biggest asshole in the world because ever since she told him she was pregnant he hadn't once asked her how she felt about all of this. He had just assumed that since she already had a child and was a wonderful mother that having another wasn't scary for her. He couldn't believe he hadn't thought about her relationship with Ed and how everything went down. He'd been so selfish. He stood up from his chair and grabbed her hands and pulled her up to him. He wrapped his arms around her tight and held her close.

"Nothing is gonna happen with us. I love you and I'd never do anything to hurt you or Sophia or this baby. I'm going to be here for all of you and we're gonna be just fine. I'm sorry that I haven't asked you how you felt about this or that I haven't been there for you more about it."

"Having a baby is hard, Daryl. It changes things between people."

"Nothing will ever change the way I feel about you. Not ever. I love you and I'm always going to be here for you."

"I just don't think we should get married just because I'm pregnant…"

"Carol, listen to me, please." He said as he moved forward so his eyes could meet hers. "I've had this ring since a few days after Glenn and Maggie got married. You can ask Rick. I told him at the wedding that I wanted to marry you. You can ask Sophia too. I asked her if it was okay with her if we got married and I got her to help me pick out this ring. I've been planning on asking you tonight since the wedding. It ain't about the baby. It's about me and you and that I wanna spend the rest of my life with you. I have for a long time now. Don't you remember what I said that night Michonne took me back to your place after I went to the bar with Merle.

 _***Flashback***_

 _It was 2:00 a.m. and Carol heard her phone ringing. She had been in bed asleep and was hearing the phone ring so late startled her._

" _Michonne?" "What's wrong?"_

" _I was at the bar with a friend of mine and I ran into Daryl and his brother. He's pretty wasted and he wanted me to bring him to your place._

" _Bring him on over."_

 _()()()_

 _When Michonne arrived Carol realized that she wasn't lying. Daryl was completely wasted. He was slurring his words and he could barely stand up. She and Michonne had to help him inside._

" _Hey Michonnnnnne." Daryl said as they were carrying him to the bedroom. "You know, Carol's my girl. I love the fuck out of her. Oh, there you are, I fucking love you. He said as he looked to Carol._

 _Michonne laughed a little as they laid him on the bed. "Have fun with that. He was just a joy on the way over."_

" _Thanks for bringing him and helping me."_

" _No problem."_

 _()()()_

 _Michonne left and Carol crawled in bed beside him._

 _Daryl was laying on the bed beside her with a huge grin on his face. His hair had gotten so much longer since she first met him. His hair was almost so long in the front that it hung over his eyes. She gently moved his bangs away from his eyes and kissed his forehead._

" _Why are you smiling?" She asked._

" _Because I'm thinking about you."_

" _Aren't you sweet when you're drunk?"_

" _I'm sweet to you all the time and it's cuz I love you. I love you more than I've ever loved anything and I'm gonna spend the rest of my life with you. You're my girl. Me and you, that's it. I'm gone marry you one day."_

 _***End of Flashback***_

You remember saying that?" She asked surprised.

"Yeah, I was fucked up when I said it, but I meant it. I just didn't bring it up again because I knew we hadn't been together very long and I didn't wanna freak you out. I knew though, even then, that I wanted to be with you for the rest of my life. I promise you that me asking you to marry me isn't about about the baby. It's about how much I love you. I'm not Ed. I'm not my dad. I'm never gonna do anything to hurt you or our family. Not ever."

"You're right, you're not them." She said as she wrapped her arms around him. "I love you too and I'm sorry that I freaked out. I do wanna marry you, I really do. I just needed to know that it wasn't just about the baby."

"Don't be sorry, I should have thought about you more in this. I was being selfish. It's not gonna be like that though, not anymore. You come first, always. You, Sophia and this baby."

 **(So, I'm not very happy with this. I did re-writes and I can't get it how I want it and I'm not sure how I want it. I'm just going to let it be. I hope it turned out somewhat decent.)**


	46. Chapter 46

**(So, this will probably end up being longer than 50 chapters. I still have a few more things I want to address. Oh, I also would appreciate some baby name suggestions. I'm having a hard time planning what I want to call it. Boy and girl names are both fine. I know what the baby will be already, muhahahaha (evil laugh), but I want suggestions on either. As always, thanks for reading.)**

She kept staring down at the engagement ring on her finger on their way home the mountains Monday morning. She still couldn't believe he'd asked her to marry him. Most days she still couldn't believe she was having his child, although the morning sickness she'd been rocked with since Friday was always a constant reminder of that.

"I'm starting to think ya like that damn ring more than ya like me." He joked.

She scooted closer to him in his pick-up and laid her head on his arm "Maybe a little bit." She smirked.

He playfully tried to nudge her away from him but she grabbed onto his arm.

"I'm trying to drive, woman."

"How'd you know what size ring to get me?" "It fits perfect."

"I'm observant." He said with a smile she looked at him questioningly and he let out a laugh. "Okay, I may have gotten Sophia to snatch up one of your rings so we could get the size off of it."

She let out a laugh too. "You're teaching my child to steal?"

"Borrow." He corrected. "We put it back."

"Daryl, how much did you pay for this anyway?" "It look really expensive."

"Don't worry about it." "You like it, right?"

"I love it, but you shouldn't have…"

"Stop. I wanted to get it for you. You deserve it. You deserve the best."

She stopped arguing. He'd already paid for it now anyway and it wasn't like she even wanted him to take it back and get her a cheaper one. She just hated to know he spent so much money on her. She leaned up and kissed his cheek and then started trailing kisses down his neck. He lout out a groan.

"Are you trying to make me wreck?"

"Fine, I'll stop…for now." She leaned her head back on his arm and was quiet for a few minutes before deciding to bring up something she had on her mind. "I think when we get home we need to tell Sophia about the baby I know we wanted to wait until our first appointment, but if I keep puking every morning she's gonna know something is up, fast."

He nodded. "Yeah, you're right. She's a smart kid. She'll figure it out on her own if we don't."

"Will you be there when I tell her?"

"Yeah." "Are you worried she isn't gonna take it well?"

Carol shrugged. "I don't know. I wouldn't think so. She loves Judith and is really good with her."

"I'll be there with ya. I think it'll be okay. She was all for us getting married."

"I'm glad she was." She said with a smile. "Can I ask you something?"

"Sure."

"You don't have to say yes, it's just something that crossed my mind when I suspected I was pregnant but didn't know for sure. I'll understand if you don't want to."

"Just say what's on your mind."

"Would you wanna move in with us?" "I mean, I know we're getting engaged and you will eventually, but you could go ahead and move in now if you want…."

"I'll move in with you. Hell, I practically live there now anyway."

"Really?" She said with beaming eyes. "Are you sure it's gonna be okay with Merle?"

"We're engaged and we're having a baby. I think he's pretty much gonna expect it. Besides, I haven't even been home in over a week."

()()()

They picked Sophia up at Herschel's and when she got in the car she immediately asked to see her mom's hand. She'd been so excited that Daryl had asked her and she said yes.

"I heard you had a hand in this." Carol said to her daughter on the way back to their home.

"I may have given him permission and helped with the ring a bit."

"You did a good job. I'm glad you're okay with this." She said as she pulled her daughter in for a hug.

()()()

When they got back to the house they each talked about their weekends and everything that they did. Sophia said she got to go over to Glenn and Maggie's new place and see everything. She also told them that Herschel let them go on an emergency call with them to treat a horse. They told her about kayaking and hiking and that deer would come up to the creek at night and they would watch them drink from it. Daryl mentioned it was a shame he didn't have his crossbow. They let Sophia unpack and get settled and decided later that evening that it was time to talk to her about the baby.

"Sophia, can you come here for a second?" Carol called out to her.

"What's up?" She asked as she entered the living room. She noticed her mom and Daryl sitting side by side on the couch, both wearing serious expressions.

"We just wanna talk to ya bout something." Daryl spoke up.

Sophia cocked her eyebrows and leaned against the wall. "What else is there to talk about, you're engaged."

"Remember when we got in the accident a few weeks ago." Carol said.

"Yeah."

"Well, when they were treating me… they um, they found out that I was…..pregnant."

Sophia's jaw dropped. "You're what!"

"We're gonna have a baby, Sophia." Daryl said.

"'Did you guys plan this?"

The couple looked at each other.

"No." Carol said. "We were both very surprised.

"I know this is a lot for you. Us getting engaged and finding out that we're gonna have a baby." Daryl added.

"It's pretty surprising." Sophia added.

"Are you okay with this?" Carol asked her daughter.

"We don't want you to be upset." Daryl said.

"I'm not upset." Sophia claimed. "I just didn't expect you guys to have kids so fast…or at all really."

"If you are upset, it's okay to tell us. We can talk about it as a family."

"Mom, I'm not upset." Her mother shot her a look of disbelief. "Really, I'm not. I'm gonna have a little brother or sister. It's kinda cool."

"You sure?" Daryl asked

"Yeah. Besides, this little kid's gonna be pretty cool. It'll probably come out with a crossbow." She joked.

They both smiled a bit and felt relieved. They were glad that she didn't freak out. Maybe she was more mature than they were.

"I know this has all been a lot to take in, so I'm gonna run more thing by you."

"What, is it twins?"

Daryl's eyes got wide and he gave Carol a questioning look. She just shook her head at him.

"No, well not that we know of anyway. I was just going to say that Daryl and I talked about him going ahead and moving in completely. I just wanna know that's okay with you. If it's too much change right now just say the word."

Sophia actually looked relieved at that statement. "Daryl hasn't even gone home in a week. He might a well live here anyway. I'm cool with it. Besides, you're getting married, he was gonna move in eventually."


	47. Chapter 47

**(Here's the next one. Enjoy. BTW I still need baby name suggestions. I try to write a chapter a day and I may not have a name picked out by the time I get to it.)**

How was your getaway? Merle asked Daryl Monday night as he entered their home.

"It was good. You do anything over the weekend?"

"You know, the usual. Got drunk and hooked up with some skank."

"Sounds about right."

"Carol and the baby doing okay?"

"She throws up a lot in the mornings. Other than that she's good. We go to the doctor in two weeks for a check-up. I guess we'll know more then, but far as I know everything's good."

Merle walked to the fridge and grabbed two beers. He opened one for himself and handed Daryl the other. "Still hard to believe my baby brother's gonna be a daddy."

Daryl took a sip and set the beer down. He still found it hard to believe too and although the prospect still terrified him, he'd come to be excited about it. "I need to tell ya something."

"You're not gonna do anymore of that freaking out shit are ya?"

"Nah. I'm over that."

"Good." "What is it then?"

"This weekend when Carol and I was away, I asked her to marry me and she said yes."

Merle took a long swig of his beer. "Well, you did knock her up, I suppose that's the logical next step."

"I've had the ring for over a month. I'd been planning to ask her before I knew she was pregnant."

"Why didn't you tell me?" Merle said offended.

"I don't know, figured you'd try and talk me out of it."

Merle chugged the rest of the beer and threw the bottle towards the trashcan. "I'm not that much of a damn dick."

Daryl rolled his eyes, because he could argue that, but he wasn't going to right now. "Anyway, since we're engaged and having a baby and all, I think it'd be best if I just go ahead and move in with her. I'm there most of the time anyway." "Are you gonna be okay living here alone?"

Merle shook his head. "I may not have anticipated the engagement or the baby shit, but I've been expecting you to move in with her. I've been thinking about getting myself a place closer to town. Somewhere closer to work."

"Maybe you could try one of those new apartments I was just working on. They're pretty nice."

"Maybe so."

"What do ya wanna do with this place?" Daryl asked.

"Keep it. The lands good for hunting. Gotta nice pond out here. If you have a son we can bring him hunting and fishing out here. Hell, even if you get another girl you can teach her to hunt too, you already taught Sophia.

"The land's good, but the house is shit. Full of bad memories."

"So we burn it."

"Burn it?"

"Why not?" "We can build us a hunting lodge in its place. Make something new. We were gonna torch it anyway before I got locked up and your feral ass ran off and became a house cat."

"Hmm. Alright, when you find a place lets burn it down then."

()()()

Over the next two week Merle had found a place nearby. He didn't go for an apartment though, nope. He ended up renting a small house within walking distance of Carol's place. He'd said he wanted to be around to keep an eye on his baby brother. They had told all of their friends about the engagement and everyone had been thrilled for them. They hadn't set a date yet, but their friends were throwing around ideas for them. Lori wanted to plan a huge extravagant wedding, but Maggie was trying to talk them into doing something simple. No one else, aside from Sophia, Rick Merle and Tara knew about the baby yet as far as their friends went. But they had their first appointment today and were planning on telling everyone afterwards.

Carol sat in the waiting room of the OB/GYN section of the hospital with Daryl awaiting their first pre-natal appointment. There were a lot of other pregnant women in the room. Most of them were a lot younger than her, and one of them even looked to be about Beth's age. The young girl didn't have a man with her, instead beside her was what appeared to be her mother. Carol shuddered a bit, thinking of how that could be Sophia in a few years.

That weird doctor with the mullet isn't going to be the one we're seeing today is he?" Daryl asked, breaking her out of her thoughts

"No, he was just an ER doctor. I'm going to see the same doctor that delivered Judith. You remember him, Tyrese is his name."

Daryl nodded. He didn't know him well at all, but he knew that he was Sasha's brother. He figured he seemed okay enough when he had met him the night Judith was born and anyone had to be better than Dr. Eugene.

"Peletier." They heard a nurse call.

Daryl cringed a little at the mention of the last name she still carried from Ed. He couldn't wait to change that to Dixon.

"You ready, daddy?" She said with a smirk as she took his hand in hers and followed the nurse to the exam room.

()()()

"Hey Carol." Tyrese said as he entered the exam room.

"Hey Tyrese." She said with a smile.

"I'm Dr. Williams." He said as he extended his hand to Daryl. "Are you the father?"

"Mhm." Daryl mumbled as he shook the man's hand. "I met ya the night Judith Grimes was born."

"That's right. Rick and Lori's little girl" "How's she doing these days?"

"Little ass kicker's doing good, you'd never be able to tell she had such a rough start."

Tyrese let out a laugh. "Little ass kicker, huh?" "She has definitely been a fighter since she was born." "So, Carol, how are you feeling?" He said changing the subject back to her.

"Like hell." She chuckled. "I've had morning sickness every day and I've been more tired than normal lately."

"That's pretty normal at this point." "Any weird cravings yet?"

"She dips dill pickle chips in chocolate ice cream. It's disgusting." Daryl said

"It's delicious." Carol retorted.

"Not the strangest one I've heard" Tyrese added. "I once had a patient who would mix rice with brown sugar, bbq sauce and butter."

Daryl and Carol both grimaced at the thought of that.

"Please don't do that." Daryl said looking at Carol.

Tyrese smirked at them. "Anyway, I see here that you had your implannon removed at the hospital when they found out you were pregnant. I'm assuming this baby was a surprise to you both then."

"We were both pretty shocked." Carol admitted. "I hadn't planned on having any more children after Sophia and Daryl hadn't planned on having kids at all."

"Are you both okay with it now?"

They looked at one another and nodded and Daryl took her hand in his.

"We're still nervous, but we're excited now too." Carol said.

Tyrese did some routine blood work and collected a urine sample from her just to run some tests. He did a pelvic exam and a breast exam that both made Daryl highly uncomfortable. Even though the man was a doctor and nothing about either exam looked fun, he still didn't like the man touching all over his fiancée.

"You know, most of the time we don't do this until later, but if you want we can do an ultra sound today. I'm gonna leave that up to the two of you though."

"What does that do?" Daryl asked curiously.

"You can see the baby and hear the heart beat."

"I'd like to if you would." Carol said as she turned her eyes to meet Daryl's.

"Yeah, go ahead."

Tyrese took out the gel and spread it over Carol's abdomen to prepare for the ultra sound. Then he took the transduced and moved it across her belly to find the baby.

"I forgot how weird this feels."

"Daryl held tightly onto her hand and kept glancing between her belly and the screen. "You alright?" He asked.

"I'm fine."

"Okay, here's your baby." Tyrese said with a smile.

The repetitive swoosh, swoosh, swoosh sound could be heard throughout the room and Daryl felt Carol's grip tighten around his hand. He looked at her and saw a tear forming in the corner of her eye.

"What's that noise?" Daryl asked.

"It's the heartbeat." Tyrese informed him. "It sounds good and strong, and if you look on this screen right here." Tyrese said as he turned it towards the couple. "The black stuff in the middle is amniotic fluid and this little gray thing right here is your baby." Tyrese moved the cursor back and forth on the screen to show them the head and the body.

Daryl could feel the lump forming in his throat. He couldn't believe that on that screen was his child and that noise that filled the room was its heartbeat. Half him and half the woman he loved. It was all overwhelming. "Can we have a minute?" He asked Tyrese in a shaky tone.

"Sure, I'll be right back."

"Carol looked over at him and he noticed she was fully crying now. "I can't believe that's our baby right there." She said as she wiped her eyes.

"Me either." He replied as he bent down and kissed her softly. "It's the most amazing thing I've ever seen. I love you and I can't wait to meet this baby."

"I love you too."

Tyrese knocked on the door gently and they told him that he could come back in.

"Well, everything looks and sounds good for now. We'll do another check-up next month. Just take your prenatal vitamins like you should, eat right, exercise, don't stress yourself out, no smoking or drinking of course.

"You mean I can't go home and drink a bottle of wine to celebrate?" She joked

Tyrese shot her a look, but caught her sarcasm and laughed it off. "Oh and more one more thing, I don't say this to scare you, but I say it to all women who are over 35 and pregnant. Don't hesitate to call me with any concern. There are increased risks like pre-eclampsia, miscarriage, placental abruption, or birth defects. So just be overly cautious and keep me updated on any concern you may have.

"Something might go wrong?" "Something could happen to her or the baby?" Daryl asked panicked.

"Calm down, dad. I didn't say something will go wrong, I just always like to be cautious and want you to both be aware. Mom here is very healthy and baby seems to be too. Don't worry until you have to. The risks are still low, just slightly higher than if she was younger. Now, let me print some ultra sound photos out for the two of you and I will let you go on your way."


	48. Chapter 48

They told all of their friends about the baby, and even though all of them were shocked, they were happy for them. Lori in particular, was thrilled that Judith would have a playmate to grow up with. Things had been going well the last month and they had just had their 12 week check-up about two weeks ago. Tyrese assured them that things were still going well with Carol and the baby, but Daryl had been over protective and worried ever since he had even mentioned that there could be increased risks due to Carol's age.

"How are you feeling?" Tara asked Carol at lunch one day.

"I'm good. The morning sickness has slowed up a little bit. I just pee all the time now."

"You're what, three months now?"

"14 weeks."

"Times going by fast. Seems like it was just yesterday Eugene busted your little pregnancy bubble."

"I still haven't properly thanked him for that." Carol said with a scowl.

"He freaked Daryl out, that's for sure. I halfway thought we were going to have to take him back to the ER." She said with a laugh. "He's really seemed to come around though, hasn't he?"

"He has." Carol said with as her eyes lit up and a grin spread across her face. "I was so scared to even tell him that I thought I was pregnant. I was scared that he'd be mad or that things would change between us. It hasn't though. He's been great though all of this. He helps a lot with Sophia, he gets up with me when I'm sick, he runs out and gets all my weird craving food. He's driving me crazy worrying though."

"What do you mean?"

"Tyrese told him that being pregnant over thirty-five comes with certain risks and he got a little paranoid. It took like we week for me to convince him it was still safe for us to have sex and that he wouldn't hurt the baby and that we'd already been doing it since we found out and everything had been fine. He won't let me carry anything heavy, he makes sure I get a serving from each food group every day, if I look uncomfortable at all he's convinced something terrible is going to happen."

"That sounds sweet."

"It is sweet and I love him to death for caring so much, but if you lived with him, you'd understand." Carol said with a laugh. "I'm so used to being independent and taking care of myself I guess. It sounds like I'm complaining, but I'm really not. When I went through this with Ed I had no help and he didn't care at all. Daryl's the exact opposite. I really love having someone who cares and knowing that this baby is going to have a daddy that loves him or her means everything to me."

()()()

Carol was in the kitchen putting some groceries up when Daryl got home that evening.

"Hey." He said as he walked up behind her and kissed her cheek. He gently placed a hand over her belly. She was still wearing scrubs and you couldn't tell it from them, but she had a small baby bump. "How was your day?" He asked as he took the bag of groceries and started putting them up for her.

"I can't complain. It was pretty good. Did you go to Merle's after work?"

"Yeah. He got a new bow. We did some target practice."

"Let me finish putting those up." She said as she reached for the bag of groceries. "I'm not completely helpless you know."

"I know you ain't. I'm just trying to help."

"I know you are." She said as she wrapped her arms around his waist and leaned up to kiss him. "You do a lot for me and I appreciate you so much for it, but I can still do the little things for now. Trust me, once the baby is here I'll be putting you to work all the time."

"Have it your way, lady." He smirked. He went and opened the fridge and pulled out the orange juice container and started drinking.

"You realize other people drink that too don't you?" She playfully scolded him.

He shrugged and continued drinking. "What's mine is yours."

"Sophia and Carl are up in the treehouse watching something on her laptop, would you mind going and getting them and taking Carl home. Judith is asleep and Rick doesn't wanna wake her up and Lori had PTO tonight."

"Thought you weren't helpless?"

"My feet are sore and I just want to get a hot bath." She said as she poked her bottom lip out.

"I'm just messing with ya, I'll take him home." "You need anything while I'm out?"

"Fried pickles, definitely friend pickles."

Daryl made his way into the backyard and climbed up the ladder of the tree house. He went to open the hatch, but we quite surprised at what he saw once he did.

"What the hell?" He growled

Sophia and Carl were on the couch together, but instead of watching a movie on her laptop he found Sophia in a lip lock with Carl. It wasn't just a quick peck either, the two were clearly making out. The two broke apart immediately at the sound of Daryl's voice.

"Oh shit." Carl said as his jaw dropped.

"What do you two think you're doing?"

"I uh, we uh, my dad's a cop!" "Just remember that." Carl said fearfully.

"Sophia?" Daryl said authoritatively.

She stood there with her arms crossed. A look of annoyance on her face that he'd even barged in on this. "You could've called out or let us know you were coming up here?"

"Excuse me?" Daryl said clearly taken back by her attitude.

"This isn't your house, it's my mom's." The teenaged snarkily said.

Daryl bit his lip hard. Her smart mouth was pissing him off, but he wasn't about to go off on her. The two of them had always had a good relationship and he hadn't had to discipline her or get on to her before and she rarely even smarted off at her mom. "Come on, Carl, I'll take you home and we can have a little chat. We'll talk about this when I get back." He said narrowing his eyes at Sophia.

"You're not my dad." She spat. "You don't get to tell me what to do."

Daryl exhaled deeply and jumped out of the tree house. "Come on, Carl." He snapped

Carl reluctantly climbed down and started following him. Sophia followed and huffed all the way inside. She bolted for her room and slammed the door. Carol heard this and walked into the living room where she saw Carl and Daryl headed for the door. Daryl clearly looked angry.

"What's going on?" She asked.

"These two were making out up in the tree house and I ain't talking about no innocent little kiss either and Sophia gets all pissed off because I'm upset about it. Tells me it ain't my house and I ain't her daddy."

She could see the hurt in his eyes from the statement that her daughter made and she was surprised that Sophia had even said that. It wasn't like her daughter at all. She took a deep breath contemplating what to do. "Carl go in the kitchen for a second."

The boy did as he was told and walked to the kitchen with his head down.

"Maybe I should call Rick. I'm not sure you need to drive him home right now."

"I'm fine." Daryl snapped.

"I'm gonna go talk to Sophia. If you're completely sure you can handle taking Carl home without flipping out then you take him, if not I'm gonna call Rick. I don't wanna hear about you scaring the boy to death on the way home. I know you don't like that they were kissing and I'm not happy about it either, but freaking out isn't going to solve anything." "Okay?"

Daryl nodded and took a deep breath. "Come on, Carl."

"Are you gonna kill me?" Carl asked when they got in the car.

"No."

"Are you mad?"

"I ain't happy." Daryl said and then sighed. "So what, are you two boyfriend and girlfriend now?"

Carl looked at him, unsure of what answer he wanted. "I don't think so." He finally said.

"What was that then?"

"I don't know. We were watching a movie and people were kissing. A lot of people at school kiss. Sophia asked me if I'd ever kissed a girl and I said no. I asked her if she'd ever kissed a boy and she said no. She kissed me on the lips and then asked if I thought we should learn how to kiss together. I'm sorry, don't shoot me with your crossbow."

"Ain't gone shoot you with my crossbow, but only cuz it's you and I used to like you. Anyone else I'd have to shoot in the ass with an arrow."

()()()

"Sophia." Carol called out as she knocked on her daughter's door.

"Go away."

"We need to talk." Carol said as she opened the door and walked inside. Her daughter was lying in her stomach with her face pressed down in a pillow. She took a seat at the end of the bed. "What was that with Daryl?"

"He busted the door open and caught me and Carl kissing."

"Yeah, I heard." "But guess what?" "You're not exactly allowed to just close doors and make out with boys. You're only thirteen."

Sophia scoffed at her mother. "Right, but you're allowed to let guys spend the night when you've barely been dating them a week."

"Sophia!" "Stop with that smart mouth. I'm an adult and Daryl wasn't just some stranger, I'd known him for six months."

"You sure jumped right into bed with him first chance you got."

"First off, you're grounded for a week, and it'll be two if you smart off again."

"Whatever."

"Tell me what this is really about." "Do you not like Daryl?" "Are you upset we're getting married and having a baby?" "We thought you were fine with it, you said it was okay."

"Well it's not." Sophia said between tears. "This baby gets to have the perfect life. It's gonna have a mom and a dad who both love it and are happy together. It's never going to have to see it' dad hurts it mom, it's never going to be hurt by its dad. Its dad will be there when it graduates high school and goes off to college and gets married and he'll actually give a shit. I don't get that, I won't ever get that. My dad's an abusive asshole that never cared about me or you and this baby is going to have everything that I didn't get." She was sobbing into her pillow and everything she said just broke Carol's heart. She blamed herself for Sophia having Ed as a father and for seeing all that she had. She wished she'd have been stronger and left sooner. She wished that her daughter had never seen the things she did.

"I'm sorry baby, I'm so sorry." Carol cried as she clutched her daughter.

"Why's Ed have to be my dad?" Sophia cried. "Why'd he have to hurt you and why'd he have to hurt me?" "Why couldn't you have met Daryl sooner and why couldn't he be my dad."

"I wish he would have been too and I'm sorry for everything you had to go through. It wasn't fair and you didn't deserve it. I know I can't ever take it away and that you deserved so much better. I was scared to leave. I was scared he'd kill me or take you away from me, but I should've left sooner." Carol was crying hard now too.

"I'm sorry mom, I didn't mean to make you cry and I'm sorry for everything I said."

"Don't be sorry. I wish you'd have told me how you were feeling sooner. You can talk to me about anything. Daryl too, he loves you and wants you to be healthy and happy."

"Maybe, but he's gonna love this baby more." She said sadly.


	49. Chapter 49

**(This was the last angsty, drama filled chapter I plan to have. As far as I know things are going to be strictly happy from here to the end. Hope you all enjoy.)**

"Don't worry, I didn't kill Carl. Oh, and I brought you fried pickles." Daryl said as he entered the door front door of their home thirty minutes later.

"Thanks." She said quietly.

He noticed that her eyes were red and puffy and he could tell she'd been crying while he was gone. "What happened?" He asked softly as he put wrapped his arms around her and held her close

"I talked to Sophia while you were gone. I found out that she's upset because this baby is going to have a loving, caring father and that it won't ever have to go through or see the things she did." She said wiping her eyes. "It's all my fault she went through that, it's my fault I didn't leave sooner, I let my daughter go through hell, it's my fault she has a shitty father."

"Stop. It ain't your fault. You didn't make him act like that, he did. You didn't deserve to be treated that way and neither did she, and it ain't your fault."

"I could have left sooner, I shouldn't have married him…"

"You did what you thought was right. You were trying to protect Sophia. Don't put what he did on yourself. First time he ever hurt her, you did what you had to do to protect her and you got her away from that. You can't carry that. She did deserve a dad, but she's sure as hell better off without him as one. And I know I'm not her dad, but I'm here for her. I always will be, it might not be the same, but I'm gonna try my best to give her what she needs."

"She knows you love her and do a lot for her, she does. She just thinks once the baby gets here you're going to love it more. I know it's going to be yours and it's going to be different…"

"It's not. I love her like she's my own and I wouldn't ever treat her any different. How I feel about her ain't gonna change just because this baby has my DNA. Blood ain't everything."

"Would you mind talking to her?" "I think she needs to hear you say all that."

"I think so too. And hey, don't ever think you aren't a good mom, you're the best and there's no one else I'd ever even wanna be raising two kids with." He said as he leaned his head down and placed a kiss on her forehead.

Daryl walked to Sophia's room and knocked on the door.

"Come in." He heard from behind the door

"Hey, can we talk?"

"Oh, hey Daryl." She said quietly and averted her eyes.

"You alright?"

"I'm fine. I just really don't wanna talk about me and Carl and the tree house right now."

"That's good, because I'm not here to talk about that."

"Are you gonna fuss at me for how I talked to you earlier?"

"Nah, if those are the worse things you ever say to me I think we'll be doing good."

"I didn't mean them. Not the way I said them."

"I know." He leaned against the wall momentarily and to gather his thoughts. She didn't say anything and just laid on her bed looking up at the ceiling. "I talked to your mom." He finally said breaking the silence.

"She told you everything I said?" She asked in a shaky tone.

"Yeah, she did." He paused and exhaled. "You know, I'm real sorry about how shitty your dad was. You're a good kid and you didn't deserve it and I know that it's gotta be hard with me and your mom getting married and having a baby."

"It's not that I don't want you to marry my mom. I like you and you two are happy together, sickeningly happy sometimes, but happy." She said as a few tears rolled down her cheeks. "And it's not like I hate my little brother or sister, I just think it sucks that he or she is gonna have such a perfect life and it isn't fair.."

"You're right it ain't fair and it does suck. If I could change it for ya I would, even if it meant I never met your mom, if it meant you had perfect life and that jackass would have been a good father to you."

"That's not how I'd want it to be. I hate him and I wish he wasn't my dad. I can't even think of him being a good dad or being good to my mom. I guess I just, I wish that you'd…" She stopped herself and couldn't finish the sentence.

Daryl bit his lip nervously. He hadn't seen Sophia cry or be this upset in a long time. Not since that day he'd beat up Ed. He slowly walked over to her bed and sat down on it. "Come here." He said motioning his head to indicate he wanted her to come sit by him. She sat up and scooted beside him and he very unsurely and awkwardly put an arm around her. "I ain't your dad…..I didn't make you…..but you're still mine. Nothing's gonna change that. I'm gonna be here for you in the same way as I am the baby. I'm not gonna treat you any differently."

"It's gonna be yours though.."

"I said that don't matter, you are too. I'm marrying your mom and you're coming along with that too. We're all four gonna be a family. I love your mom and the baby and I love you too."

She bit her a lip a bit and choked back a tear. "Thanks, Daryl. I love you too."

"You ever need to talk, just come to me or your mom. I don't want you thinking stuff like this and keeping to yourself."

"I will. I promise."

"Alright, well there's food in the kitchen if you're hungry. We should probably all get something to eat."

"Sounds good to me, I'm starving." She said as she headed behind Daryl for the door. "Oh, Daryl, I do have a question."

"What's that?"

"So, Merle's kind of going to be my uncle when you guys get married right."

"Yeah, I guess he is." Daryl said with a laugh.

()()()

Daryl was mentally exhausted when they got into bed that night. Carol got a hot bath and soaked while he cleaned up the kitchen and afterwards he got a shower. He exited the bathroom wearing only a pair of black and red flannel pajamas and climbed into bed where she was already waiting. He positioned himself where he could lay his head on her stomach and placed his hands on either side of her belly.

"You better be a boy." He whispered to her belly.

"And why is that?" Carol asked with a laugh.

"Because Rick laughed when I told him that I caught Carl and Sophia making out." Daryl said with a scowl. "And if we have a boy I'm gonna make sure he makes out with his daughter when she is 13 and see how he feels about it."

"Right, you're going to let your son make out with little ass kicker and be perfectly okay with it."

"Payback is hell. Little ass kicker just has to pay the price."

"Well it wasn't exactly unexpected.."

"What?" He asked raising his eyebrows

"She's almost fourteen, she was bound to start kissing boys sometime. It's not like we weren't doing that when we were there age.

"Have you met me?" "I couldn't even look a girl in the eye when I was thirteen, hell I could barely look one in the eye by nineteen."

She cocked her head a bit and gave him a sideways grin. "You could barely look me in the eye the night you first met me and you were thirty-five."

"Shut up." He said, as he felt himself blush, but quickly cm himself "I can look you in the eye now." He added huskily and moved himself up and started kissing along her neck.


	50. Chapter 50

**(Normally, I'd write a chapter a day, but this week I'm feeling unmotivated and drained. It probably has something to do with working full time at my old job over Christmas break. Here's the next one. I hope it turns out okay. BTW, to anyone who is watching the current season and cares to share their thoughts on how the second half may go down, please do so. I've got a really hopeful theory and a really grim theory. I hope that my hopeful theory wins out…)**

"Hey, sorry I'm late." Daryl said as he entered the OB/GYN office for the baby's five month check-up and took a seat beside Carol. "Traffic was backed up like a bitch."

"It's okay. They haven't even called me back yet." Carol replied.

"You think we're gonna find out what the baby is today?"

"Maybe, if it's turned right. This is your kid though, so I'm guessing it's going to be difficult." She joked.

()()()

Well, if it isn't my favorite parents to be." Tyrese said as he entered the exam room.

"Hey Tyrese." Carol said with a smile.

Daryl gave the doctor a nod.

"How are things?" "Are you still feeling okay?"

"They're good. I get tired more easily now and my feet stay sore from being on them all day. My clothes don't fit very well any more either." She said as she placed a hand over her protruding belly. It was quite easy to tell now that she was pregnant. It looked like she had a cantaloupe under her shirt at all times now.

"Other than that no abdominal pain or cramping?" "You don't get light headed or dizzy?"

Daryl eyed her carefully, as if he was afraid something had been going on she hadn't told him about.

"Everything is fine." She said as she met Daryl's eyes to reassure him.

Good, just what I want to hear. You're blood pressure is still in a normal range. No sign of gestational diabetes. Everything seems to be going along fine." "Are you okay, dad?" Tyrese always sensed Daryl's nervousness at these appointments.

"As long as she and the baby are good, I'm good ." He said as he took his fiancee's hand in his.

"They're doing just fine." "Are you two ready to see your baby?"

"Yeah." The two said in unison.

Tyrese placed the gel on her belly and began scanning the transducer back and forth. "Okay, do you guys see that?" You can see the baby's face right here. And there's the hinds moving around trying to cover the face." Tyrese said.

"Look at those precious little hands." Carol gasped.

"Looks like it's doing cartwheels." Daryl noted as he watched the screen

"You definitely have a very active little on there." "Have you been able to feel movement yet?

"I have and so has Sophia, but the baby hasn't moved when Daryl's around yet."

"Kid ain't even born yet and it's already hard headed. I hope it don't take after Merle."

Tyrese let out a laugh. "So, did you two wanna know the sex?"

"You can tell today?" Carol asked excitedly?"

"We can."

"Hell yeah, we wanna know.

()()()

They had found out what they were having that day at the doctor's office, but neither had told their friends yet. All of their closest friends had a bet riding on what the baby was, so they wanted to tell them all at once. They decided to have a little get together at their place on Saturday and reveal the news then in their own unique way. The only other person at the party who knew what the baby was going to be was Sophia.

"You know, I never took you for one of those guys who does a gender reveal party." Rick said with a laugh as he came and stood beside Daryl.

"It's not a gender reveal party, it's a just a get together where we let all of our friends know what we're having and watch half of them lose their money. And there is beer." Daryl pointed out as he took a swallow of his.

"Call it what you want, it's still a gender reveal party."

"Shut up."

"Hey, little brother." Merle said as he walked up and joined the two. "Why don't ya drop me a little hint over what this baby is so I can throw my guess in the jar and win some of the money everyone is throwing around on it."

"Ain't telling you shit."

"Come on, I'm the uncle. I gotta right to know before everyone else."

"No, Sophia's got a right to know before everyone else because she's the sister."

"Sophia knows what the baby is?" "Ha, thanks for the heads up. I'm gonna see if she'll go tell uncle Merle if he's having another niece of if he's getting a nephew."

()()()

"Drinking at a gender reveal party. Only in Georgia." Andrea snorted as she downed the other half of her beer.

"We had to make it where the guys wanted to come too." Carol pointed out. "Besides, with the bet all of you had going on, we wanted to see all of your faces when you found out."

"I can't believe you guys have been making us wait all week." Maggie said.

"We're providing you with beer and free food today to make up for it. Be thankful."

"I guess that's true. So, I'm not going to ask what it was, but was it what the two of you wanted it to be?"

"We just want the baby to be happy and healthy. We have no preference."

"Liar!" Lori exclaimed

"What?" Andrea asked

"Daryl wants a boy." Lori replied.

"Why, so he can do all those manly things like hunt and fish with him?" Maggie added.

"No, because he caught Carl and Sophia making out a few months ago and Rick laughed. Now he's hell bent on having a son to get back at Rick when Judith is old enough."

()()()

"Sophia!" "Hey Sophia!" Merle called out

She was talking to Carla and Beth out near the back porch, but headed over to the tree Merle was standing by when she heard him call for her. "What's up, Merle?"

"I heard you knew what your mom was having. I wanna know too, so I can guess right and win some of that money."

"No way, you're gonna find out soon. There's only two choices, just pick one."

"Come on now, I'll split some of the money with ya."

"Tempting, but I'm still gonna have to go with no." She said as she turned to walk away.

"Come on, help your ole Uncle Merle out. I'm family."

She stopped, turned around and sighed. "Fine you really wanna know?"

He nodded. She walked up and whispered in his ear. A grin spread across his face. "I knew it." He mumbled.

()()()

It was time to find out what the baby was. They had set up balloons on a circular pattern at the end of the yard around the wooden fence. There was one balloon in the middle that contained the secret of the baby's gender. Daryl was going to shoot the balloon in the middle with his crossbow to reveal the gender. Daryl took the first shot and missed the balloon in the middle, instead hitting one above it.

"You suck." Merle quipped.

Daryl shot again and missed. Instead hitting the balloon beside the one he had just popped.

"You're shooting like a girl." Shane commented.

"Daryl shot again and hit the next one in line and smirked at the onlookers. It was obvious he was taking his time and was going to hit the balloon in the middle last. He finally made his way around the circle and only had the middle one left. He pulled back and paused before releasing the arrow. He looked at Carol who was standing beside him and smiled. She smiled back and he let go. The arrow connected with the balloon and it burst, it released blue confetti everywhere.

"It's a boy." Carol shouted.

All of their friends began clapping and cheering for them and ran to congratulate them. Merle saw Sophia looking back at him smirking. He shook his head and walked over to her.

"You lied to me, little girl. You told me I was having another niece."

"You believed me too easy."

"You lied with a straight face."

She shrugged. "It was for your own good. The element of surprise is always better."

()()()

"So, my little brother's having a son." Merle said as he walked up to congratulate the couple.

Daryl nodded. "Yeah, it's a boy alright." He took the sonogram picture out and handed it to his brother to see.

Merle looked it over and started smiling. "Congratulations, darling." He said as he pulled Carol in for a hug and kissed her on the cheek.

()()()

Everyone left the party and it was just the two of them lying in bed together that night.

"You sure you're ready for this?" Daryl asked. "Raising a Dixon boy."

"If he's just like you, sure. If he's just like Merle, then hell no."

"Ha, yeah I'm not prepared for a mini Merle either."

"Can I tell you a secret?" She asked as she rolled over on her side where she was now facing him.

"What's that?"

"I wanted a boy."

"How come?"

"I wanted a little version of you. Your eyes, your smile, your hair."

"He might not even look like me." He pointed out.

"Maybe not, but maybe he will."

"Ya know, I'm kinda of glad it's a boy too."

"Why?"

"I think it woulda been hard on Sophia if it was a girl. Now she can be the only girl and we get to have one of each."

"I think it would have been hard on her too."

He leaned his head down on her chest and wrapped his arms around her. "I just wanted you to know, I think it's pretty amazing. You know, that you're carrying my son. I just can't even believe you have this little life in there that's part you and part me. I know I was scared shitless when I found out, I wouldn't have things any other way now though.

"Hey, I was scared at first too. I never would have imagined that night I met you that we'd be getting married and having a baby less than a year and a half later.

"Me either. I can't wait to marry you next month."

She ran her hands down his back and kissed his head. "I can't wait to marry you either."


	51. Chapter 51

**(Thanks for reading and reviewing. An Amber Pen, that's an interesting thought on Maggie instead of Glenn. I hope both of them are fine. I hadn't considered that plot twist. I am very anxious that one of the Atlanta five are going to be killed off this season. I also am somewhat worried about that Cherokee Rose Easter egg. I want to be hopeful that it means something good for the pair, but my pessimistic side won't let me think that way. It has me worried that it is a bad omen. I swear, these two months waiting are going to give me anxiety, haha. Anyway, that has nothing to do with this story, but my friends and boyfriend don't get into this show as much as I do and I can't discuss my theories with them so I figured I'd rant about it on here. Oh, and I don't own the walking dead or any wedding vow I put in here.)**

Carol was six months pregnant now and today was the day that she and Daryl were going to get married. They'd gone back and forth on a date. She didn't want to be about to pop when they got married and both wanted to get married before the baby came. They figured that they'd be so busy with two kids that it wouldn't leave much time to plan or have a wedding. They had decided not to have a huge wedding, just one with their closest friends and family. Carol was going to be walked down the aisle by Sophia, Lori was going to be her maid of honor, Tara a bridesmaid, Rick a groomsmen and Merle was Daryl's best man. Lori, Judith, Carl, Shane, Andrea, Maggie, Glenn, Dale, T-Dog, Abraham, Rosita, Oscar, Michonne, Tara, Herschel, and Beth were all there in attendance. Father Gabriel, the man who married Glenn and Maggie was officiating the ceremony. They had decided to get married in Rick's backyard, because that's really where their relationship began. It's where they first met and that house was where they first got to know each other.

"How you feeling?" Rick asked Daryl as he entered the apartment downstairs where his friend was getting ready.

"I'm nervous as hell." Daryl admitted. He was standing in front of a mirror fumbling with his tie in the room that used to be Carol's when she lived down here.

"Pre-wedding jitters?"

"I just don't wanna stand up in front of all those people. Daryl shrugged as he continued to struggle with the tie.

"Need some help with that?" Rick asked as he stepped towards his friend.

Daryl snatched the tie off and handed it to Rick. He bit his lower lip and sighed. "Stupid damn tie."

"It's okay to be nervous you know?" Rick told him. "Most everyone is, you saw Glenn on his wedding day."

Daryl nodded. "I just, I want this to be perfect for her, ya know?" "When I first started planning to ask her to marry me I'd figured we'd get married on our year…..if she wanted to…and I didn't think she'd be six months pregnant when we got married. I wanted her to have everything she didn't the last time she did this."

"Well, sometimes things happen that we don't plan on. Like me breaking down on the side of the road in the middle of nowhere and having to get some motorcycle riding stranger with a crossbow to fix my radiator hose."

"Hmmm."

"She loves you and I've never seen her happier. Marrying you today is what she considers perfect. It wouldn't matter where that happened or what day it happened or the circumstances. It's not exactly how you planned it, but it's just how it's supposed to be." Rick said as he finished tying the tie and gave his friend a slap on the back.

()()()

"You look beautiful." Lori said with a smile as Carol stepped out of Lori's bathroom wearing her wedding dress.

"I feel huge." Carol said as she placed a hand on her belly.

"You're not. You're gorgeous. Daryl Jr there is just making sure his presence is known too." Maggie said with a smile as she placed a hand on her friend's belly. "Oh my God!" "Did he just kick me?" She squealed.

Carol let out a laugh. "Yeah, I don't think he's feeling Daryl Jr as a name."

"Do you have a name yet?" Maggie asked.

She shook her head. "No. That would require us liking the same name."

"That's why we let Carl name Judith." Lori laughed.

"Sophia's into all these hipster names so far. I don't see Daryl going for any of those. Hopefully we will all three agree on a name soon."

"You could always let Merle pick." Andrea suggested with a smirk

That instantly earned a laugh from all the women in the room.

"So, are you nervous?" Lori asked her friend.

Carol cocked her head to the side and thought about it for a second. "Not really." She said. "With Ed, I had this feeling of dread. I just knew it wasn't right, but I went through with it anyway. I don't have that with Daryl. We ground each other, calm each other down. If I'm upset, he can calm me down and if he's upset I calm him down. We're good for each other. I trust him and I wanna spend the rest of my life with him. I thought I'd be more upset about getting married while I am pregnant, like it'd be a flashback or a bad omen, but it's not. I couldn't be happier to be having a child with him."

()()()

Merle and Tara walked down the aisle together and as he joined his brother at the altar he couldn't help but notice how fidgety he was and that he was chewing at his bottom lip. "You ain't thinking bout taking off are ya?" He whispered.

"Hell no." Daryl countered.

Father Gabriel raised his eyebrows at the men and gave them a disapproving look.

"Sorry." Daryl mumbled and the looked over at Merle and scowled. As he was turning his head back to the people seated out in front of him, he heard the music start to play. Suddenly Carol appeared and was being brought down the aisle by Sophia. He froze in place. He was taken away by how beautiful she looked in her dress. He watched her intently and her eyes met his. A smile played at the edge of her lips as she walked down to meet him. He couldn't help but smile too as he looked at the two girls he loved most in the world.

"Who gives this woman to be married to this man?" Father Gabriel asked once Sophia and Carol reached the altar.

"I do." Sophia said proudly

Carol looked at her daughter and smiled and walked up to join Daryl at the altar. Sophia followed and stood behind her mother. Daryl reached out and grabbed one of her hands in his and placed another on her belly. A small tear slid down her cheek and she let out a nervous laugh.

"You may all be seated." Father Gabriel said. "Friends, we have joined here today to share with Carol and Daryl in an important moment in their lives. Today these two will be joined in matrimony. This union is not to be entered into lightly, instead reverently, passionately, lovingly, and solemnly. Into this, these two have come to be joined. The ceremony of marriage in which you have come to be united is one of the first and oldest in the world, first celebrated in the beginning in the presence of God himself. Marriage is a gift in which we give ourselves totally to one another. The blending of two hearts, the union of two lives into one. This marriage must stand by the strength and power of the faith and love you have in one another and also in the love you have for your children as well. Since you two are already holding hands," He chuckled, "I now ask that you share your vows with all of us here today.

Daryl took a deep breath and swallowed hard. "Carol, I believe in you, the person you will grow to be and the couple we will be together. Today, I take you as my wife and I promise to acknowledge your strengths and faults as you do mine. I promise to always be faithful and supportive, and to always make our family's love and happiness my top priority. I'll be yours for richer or poorer, in sickness and health, in failure and triumph. I'll always walk beside you, whatever our lives may bring. You and our kids are my life, today and always." He managed to get the entire thing out, although his voice was soft and low and his hands were shaking the entire time.

Carol was smiling while tears of happiness trailed down her face. She took a breath and moved her shoulder up to wipe her eyes, all the while making sure their hands stayed intertwined. "Daryl, you're my best friend, my confidant, my lover, my partner. You're the father of our unborn son and by choice you're a father my daughter, one she never had. With you I have found comfort, joy and peace from the chaos of the outside world. Today, I marry the man of my dreams and we start the first day of the rest of our life. I promise to hold you forever in my heart, to love you, to be faithful to you, to be your partner and to always be your best friend.

"At this time, Daryl and Carol will place rings upon each other's fingers as a symbol of their love and bond everlasting.

Daryl turned to look at Merle expected the ring. Merle patted his pockets repeatedly and looked freaked out for a minute. Daryl's face fell and then Merle smirked and pulled out the ring and placed it in his little brothers hand. "Just messing with ya." Merle said.

Daryl took the ring and gave his brother a slight smirk and shook his head. "I, Daryl Dixon, give you this ring as a symbol of my love and commitment to you." He said as he carefully placed the ring on her finer. After the ring was there his blue eyes met hers.

Lori turned to Carol with tears in her eyes and handed her his ring. "I, Carol Peletier, give you this ring as a symbol of my love and commitment to you." She said as she placed the ring upon his finger. She locked her eyes back on his and they smiled at one another.

"At this time, Daryl, Carol and Sophia are going to come up and light these candles, which symbolize the joining of them into a family. Daryl came up and lit the candle on the right and Carol lit the one on the left. Sophia came up and joined them and as a family they lit the candle in the middle.

"Now, by the power vested in my by the state of Georgia, I now pronounce you man and wife. You may kiss the bride."

Daryl grabbed her and pulled her into him. One hand was placed carefully around her lower back the other cupped the back of her head. He kissed her tenderly, but passionately, not caring that all of their friends and family were watching. When he broke apart the kiss, he rested his forehead on hers. "I love ya." He said.

"I love you too." She said as she nuzzled against him.

"Ladies and gentleman, I now present to you Mr. and Mrs. Dixon." Father Gabriel stated.


	52. Chapter 52

**(Ah motivation to write, I've missed you. Glad you paid me a visit tonight. Hope you all enjoy. Thanks for reading.)**

"I can't believe we're married." Carol gushed as the two walked hand in hand towards Rick's house for their reception.

"Me either. I haven't had a chance to say it yet, but you look beautiful." He said as he scanned his eyes up and down her. She had a clearly visible baby bump, especially in the tight fitting wedding dress, but he thought that made her look even better, if that was possible.

"You look pretty nice yourself in the tux." She smiled. "Who knew you cleaned up so well?" She joked as she ran her hand up and brushed it across his forehead. He had recently cut his hair that had long since grown past his eyebrows. It still wasn't as short as it had been when she first met him though.

He stopped and leaned down to kiss her.

"Save it for the honey moon." Merle smirked as he walked up to the newly betrothed couple.

They pulled away and Carol gave Merle a smile. "You look nice, Merle."

"Thanks, darling." He said as he moved in to hug her. "You're looking mighty fine in that wedding dress. If you wasn't family now and carrying my brother's child I'd have to take you home with me."

Daryl rolled his eyes and let out a laugh. He was glad that the two of them had learned to get along and had become friendly with one another. "You wouldn't ever stand a chance no way."

"I don't know." Carol quipped. "It's tempting, Merle's looking pretty nice today too." She winked.

Daryl nudged her a bit and leaned up and kissed him.

"Didn't I say cut it out?" "Damn. I don't need to see all that shit. I get it, that's how he got here." Merle said pointing to Carol's belly. "No damn wonder you got pregnant."

"It's a wonder you don't have about 10 or 20 of those running around." Michonne said to Merle as she walked up to the three of them.

"He probably does and just don't know it. Not like her ever sees the same girl twice." Daryl joked.

Everyone but Merle let out a laugh. He just stood there with his arms crossed over his chest and scoffed.

"Congratulations, by the way." Michonne said as she pulled Carol in for a hug and then did the same to Daryl. "The ceremony was beautiful."

"Thanks." Carol said with a smile.

Merle walked up and cleared his throat. "In all seriousness, congratulations, little brother. I'm proud of ya." Merle moved in to hug his younger brother and Daryl gave him a smile and a nod. "Besides, you picked one hell of a woman. She can put up with your shit."

Carol smiled at Merle. "Maybe you'll find someone who can deal with you too one day."

"No thank you!" "Just because this life is right for Daryl, doesn't mean it is for me. I wasn't made to be a house cat."

()()()

"Hey man, congratulations." Shane said to Daryl as he walked up to him getting some punch

"Thanks." Daryl said as he took a sip.

"You know, you guys are all starting to make me look bad."

"Oh yeah." "How's that?"

"Andrea's the only one of these girls who's not married now. She's gonna be hounding me for a ring now."

"Hmmm. Better keep her away from the bouquet." He joked

"Come on Shane." Rick said as he walked up to them. "You guys have been together almost three years now."

"Hey man, I'm taking my time. No need to rush into anything."

Daryl raised an eyebrow at Shane.

"Not that you did or anything." Shane shrugged. "Me and Andrea, we aren't you and Carol though. We fight like hell over her leaving the lights on all the damn time. My electric bill can't take the two of us being married."

()()()

You look real pretty today." Merle said as he walked up to Sophia and put an arm around her shoulder.

"Thanks, Merle." She said with a smile.

"You did good, walking down the aisle and giving your mama to my baby brother."

She nodded. "She looked so happy, he did too."

"Yeah, they do." Merle said as he looked over his shoulder and peered at his brother and his new bride talking to Herschel. Daryl was standing behind her with his arms wrapped around her waist. Both of them had huge smiles on their faces.

"They can be gross sometimes. Sophia chuckled.

"Yeah, I noticed earlier." Merle said shaking his head. "You're one to talk though, I heard about you and that Grimes boy."

"Daryl told you!" She huffed.

"It's my job to know these things. I'm your uncle now."

"You're supposed to be the cool uncle. The one who helps me sneak out when I'm older."

"No ma'am. Not a chance." He replied sternly.

"Come on, like you didn't do stuff like that as a teenager."

"Sweetheart, I did way worse stuff than sneaking out and kissing in tree houses. Things you never even need to know about or think about, and it's my job to make sure you don't ever end up like me or with a boy anything like me."

()()()

"Judith wanted to say congratulations." Lori said as she and Rick walked up to the newly wedded couple. Lori was holding Judith in her arms.

"You wanted to say congratulations too?" She asked the babbling toddler with a smile as she extended her arms and took her from Lori.

Rick looked over at Carol holding his daughter on her hip and Daryl smiling down at the two. It meant the world to him to see two of his best friends so happy. "Won't be long now before your little boy is here."

"Just a few more months." Daryl said. "Him and little ass kicker here are gonna give us a run for our money."

()()()

Merle walked away from where he had been talking with Sophia and walked over to the punch bowl. Michonne was standing in front of him pouring herself a cup. "Let me ask you something?"

She turned around slowly and cringed. "What, Merle?"

"What's your deal anyway?"

"My deal?"

"I mean, I ain't never seen you with no man. I try and get you to hook up with my drunk little brother and you just go and take him to his girlfriend's house." "Is it because you like girls?"

Michonne busted out laughing. "Are you still bitter because I screwed up your plan that night?"

"I ain't bitter." Merle scoffed. "I just don't get why you went out of your way to take Daryl home to her that night."

"I was Carol's divorce lawyer. I know first-hand what she went through with Ed. I wasn't about to sit by and let her get hurt because you were being a drunk asshole." She said matter of factly

"Ain't you a saint." He said sarcastically.

She shook her head. "Your brother wouldn't have done anything anyway, even if I didn't take him to her. All he talked about on the ride home was how much he loved her."

"Daryl's always been the sensitive one."

"You're brother's a good guy. You should be proud."

"Who said I wasn't?"

She pursed her lips. "No one." She mused. "Maybe you aren't so bad either."

He cocked his head and gave her a questioning look.

"You have soft spot for Sophia. The girl has you wrapped."

He shifted around a bit. "What do you know about it?" He said defensively.

"I'm a lawyer. I'm good at observing things." She shrugged as she walked away.

()()()

Sophia walked up to her mother and Daryl. First giving her mom a hug and then Daryl. "I love you guys." The young girl said.

"We love you too." They replied

"You look so beautiful." Carol told her daughter as she brushed her blond locks that had been curled for this special occasion to the side of her face.

"You do too." She replied with a smile

"Good, I found the three of you together." Maggie said as she walked up to them with the camera. "Come on, I want a picture of all of you together."

()()()

After their reception the two headed off for the coast. They were going to Savannah to spend the weekend on River Street for their honeymoon. They were staying at the Hyatt, which directly overlooked the Savannah River.

Carol stepped out onto the balcony to enjoy the view while Daryl had gone down to the lobby to get the rest of their things. She was watching the cargo ships sail down the river with train cars as the sun was setting. He slid on the balcony beside her quietly after he returned to their room.

"What are you thinking about?" He asked as he walked up behind her and placed a kiss on her shoulder.

"Nothing really." She replied.

"You really gonna start out our marriage by lying?" He joked.

She rolled her eyes and turned around to face him and wrapped her arms around his neck. "You really wanna know?"

"Mhm."

"I was thinking how you could have ended up living down here and we never could have happened. This could have never happened." She said as she placed her hand on her belly.

He moved his hand beside hers. The thought had crossed his mind before too. What if she hadn't of kissed him that night? Would he really have left? Would he have come back if he did? There's no way he could have stayed away from her, not for long. He knew that much. "I didn't end up here though. I ended up with you, right where I belong." He said as he kissed her gently.

"Guess it's a good thing I decided to kiss you out of nowhere then in the middle of an argument then." She said with a hint of a smile in her voice.

"Best damn thing that ever happened to me." He said. "Besides, it was hot as hell." He added in a low gruff voice as he began to kiss her again. This time passionately. Before he knew it they were kissing fiercely and the two were on their way inside and then on bed. He positioned himself on top of her, and as he was about to reach down and pull his shirt of he felt a slight jab to his abdomen. He jumped back immediately. "What the hell was that?"

She laughed. "The baby kicked you."

"He's kicking right now?" He asked hopefully. He still hadn't kicked when Daryl was around. Everyone else had gotten to feel him moving or kicking. Even Merle one evening when he stopped by while Daryl was working late. The boy was just stubborn and hadn't let his daddy feel him move yet.

"Yeah. Come here." She said as she reached up and pulled his hand down to her belly.

"Holy shit." He said as he felt the movements for the first time. "That's my son. That's my son moving around in there."

"Pretty amazing, huh?"

He nodded and leaned up to place a kiss on her forehead while still leaving his hands positioned on her belly. "I love you." He then moved his head down to her belly and placed a kiss there too. "I love you too, you little cock blocker." He joked.


	53. Chapter 53

Carol was not 8 and ½ months pregnant. She'd been out or work the last two weeks per her doctor's orders, just to be safe. The pregnancy was still going remarkably well and she and the baby seemed fine. He just didn't think she needed to be doing any heavy lifting or on her feet all day. Little baby Dixon still didn't have a name yet either. Sophia, Carol and Daryl were sitting in their living room on this particular night trying to finally decide on a name.

"Colton." Sophia suggested

"Nah." Daryl said. "What about Asher?"

"I don't know." Carol added. "I kind of like Silas."

"Silas is alright." He shrugged.

"It's okay." Sophia agreed. "I prefer Casper, though."

Daryl raised his eyebrows. "My son ain't being named after no ghost."

Carol let out a laugh. "I kind of like it." She teased with a playful smile.

"Stop."

"Fine." "How about Jaxon, with an x."

Daryl nodded. "That one is okay…"

"No way. There's a kid in my class that I hate named Jaxon. Besides, it's too cliché these days." Sophia added.

Daryl groaned. "We're all three never going to agree on a name. I'm almost to the point I'd let Merle pick."

"He wanted to name the baby Merle JR to continue his name." Carol pointed out. "I'm not having a Merle JR.

Daryl snorted. "Well, if we don't have a name in two weeks, do you have a better suggestion?"

()()()

Later that night the two of them were lying in bed. Daryl was restless and couldn't get to sleep. He wondered if Carol was awake. He knew she'd had a hard time getting comfortable these last few weeks.

"You awake?" He whispered.

"I'm always awake. I don't think I've had a decent night sleep in almost a month."

She was laying on her side. He had been on his back, but rolled over to his side and draped an arm around her. He kissed her cheek. "Won't be much longer now." He said.

"You think that I'll be able to sleep once he gets here?" "You're funny."

"Yeah, Rick and Lori looked like zombies for a while after ass kicker was born." He recalled.

"Sophia cried all the time, and I mean all the time. She had terrible colic. Ed would leave and stay gone for days…"

"You ain't gotta worry about that with me." He said tightening his grip around her waist.

"I know." She said as she gripped his hands in hers and intertwined their fingers.

"Our biggest worry is not having a name."

"We'll figure something out. We've still got time."

"How'd you come up with Sophia's name?"

()()()

Daryl had finally drifted off to sleep with her in his arms. He wasn't sure how long he'd been asleep when he was awoken by someone screaming his name. He immediately jolted up out of bed and went into panic mode. He scanned the room and didn't see his wife, but he saw the bathroom light on and heard the scream of his name again.

"What's wrong?" He said as he rushed into the bathroom.

"I think the baby's coming."

"Now?"

She nodded. "I got up and thought I had to pee, but I didn't. My water broke." She said as she looked down.

He looked down and grimaced and then panic hit him immediately "But it's early."

"Only two weeks. He's ready now, trust me." She said as she grabbed her lower back and braced herself for a contraction.

()()()

He had gone and woken Sophia up and told her the baby was coming. He then called Merle first and then Rick as he headed to the hospital. Merle got there right as they did. He volunteered to sit in the waiting room with Sophia.

"You excited?" Merle asked

"I wish he would've waited until morning, but yeah, I'm ready to meet my little brother."

"Little brothers are special." Merle added. "You gotta protect em and watch out for em."

"That what you did for Daryl?"

"The best I knew how. I wasn't always around, but I've always been there for him if he needed me. You do the same for yours."

()()()

Things were progressing pretty quickly once they reached labor and delivery. She was already dilated 3cm's by the time they took her back.

"Looks like you two will be meeting your son soon." Tyrese said with a smile

"It's early, will everything be okay?" Daryl asked.

"Last check-up things seemed to be going very well. He's on target for growth, no reason to expect it won't be. Lots of women deliver a little before their due dates."

Carol took Daryl's hand and gave it a hard squeeze as she had another contraction. She looked like she was in a lot of pain. "You alright?"

She nodded. "As good as I can be."

()()()

A few hours and many painful contractions later, Tyrese presented a perfectly healthy 8 lb. baby boy to them. He asked Daryl if he wanted to cut the cord. He very nervously and with shaking hands did just that. Tyrese then placed the baby on Carol's chest. She looked at her son for the first time. He hadn't been cleaned up yet, but he was still one of the most perfect things she'd ever seen. She was overcome with happiness and love. Daryl was beside them and looked down at them and smiled. He had the same feelings of overwhelming happiness and love. The birth of his son was one of the most gruesome, yet beautiful things he had ever seen. He saw tears of joy running down her face and leaned in to kiss her. He placed a hand on his son and his own tear slid down his face.

"You did amazing. I can't believe he's here."

"Me either. He's so perfect."

"He gets that from you."

She smiled up at him.

()()()

The two of them spent time alone with just their son for a while. They finally took the baby back to be cleaned up. Daryl went to the waiting room to let Merle and Sophia know that he was here. When he got out there he was greeted by Rick too.

"He's here." Daryl said with a smile.

"How is?" "How's my mom?" Sophia asked.

"They're both good. You're mom's the strongest woman I know."

"How big is he?" Rick asked.

"8 lbs. and 20 inches long. He's pretty solid. They're cleaning him up now." "You wanna go see?"

They all followed him to the nursery to watch as he was cleaned up. The nurse looked out at him and smiled through the glass. She held the baby up so everyone could see.

"He's got blond hair, like me." Sophia said with a smile.

"Congratulations, he's beautiful." Rick said. He's more than twice the size Judith was."

For the first time in his life, Merle stood speechless. He was in awe of his nephew. He looked over at his brother and pulled him in for a hug. Daryl didn't say anything, but he could have sworn he saw a tear slide down his brother's cheek.

Rick congratulated his friend once again and told him that he had to go home. He promised that he'd be back tomorrow with Lori, Carl and Judith.

()()()

After they had baby boy Dixon all cleaned up, they brought him back to Carol's room. The nurses let him try to feed and gave the parents some time to bond with him.

"Come here." Carol said as she patted the mattress of the hospital bed she was in.

"Am I gonna hurt you?" He questioned.

"I'm not feeling anything right now." She assured him.

He gently moved into the bed with her. She placed the baby, who was wrapped up in a blue blanket, in his arms and rested her head against him.

"He's got your squinty eye and pissed at the world face down" She joked.

Daryl laughed as he looked down at his son. He had to agree, the face he was making was almost that of a scowl and his eyes were smaller, almost squinted, like his own. "I guess so." He said as he gently ran his hands over the baby's blond hair. "Sophia said he gets his hair from her."

"I have no idea how I keep making blond babies. My hair was auburn."

"You make pretty babies." He said as he kissed her.

She smiled. "What are we gonna do about a name?"

"Should I go get Merle?" He joked.

She cut her eyes at him.

()()()

Sophia and Merle came back after they spent some time with just them and the baby

"Oh my gosh, he's so precious!" Sophia gushed as she approached the hospital bed Daryl and Carol were still sitting in with their new baby.

"You two did good." Merle added.

"Do you wanna hold him?" Carol asked her daughter

She nodded and sat in the chair that was beside the bed. Daryl took the baby from Carol and gently placed him in Sophia's arms.

"So, what's his name?" Merle asked.

Carol and Daryl looked at one another.

"We've been thinking a lot about that. We finally decided though, that is if you like it." She said looking to Sophia.

"What is it?"

"Hunter." Daryl said. "Hunter Reid Dixon.

"I love it." Sophia said. "Uncle Merle and I both said out there that we really liked the name Hunter for him. He just kind of looks like a Hunter."

()()()

Sophia's been up all night, would you mind staying at our place with her?" Carol asked Merle after they had been visiting about an hour. She looked over at her daughter, who had practically nodded off in the chair with her baby brother in her arms.

"No problem, darling." Merle said. "You two get some rest. You're gonna need it." He said as he got up and kissed Carol on the cheek and gave her a hug. He moved and hugged his brother as well.

"Ain't you gonna hold your nephew?" Daryl asked.

Merle eyed the baby. "He's so small, I don't wanna drop him or nothing."

"You won't. I held Rick's baby and she was half that size. Come on, it's your kin." Daryl said as he got out of the bed with Carol and took baby Hunter from a sleeping Sophia's arms. He motioned for Merle to sit down in a rocking chair that was in the room. He placed the sleeping baby in Merle's arms.

Merle looked down the baby and smiled. "Hey there baby nephew, I'm your uncle Merle."

Daryl looked over at Carol who was smiling. She took his hand in hers and squeezed it. "I love you." She mouthed.

"Love you too." He mouthed back.


	54. Chapter 54

**(I'm sorry it's been a while since I've updated. I got a little stuck with this for a while. I guess that happens after 50+ chapters though. I wanted to finish this before starting my other story, but I got excited and went ahead and posted the other. If you haven't checked it out, feel free to do so.)**

It had been four months since baby Hunter Reid was born. At first things were exhausting with him not sleeping though the night and everyone adjusting to a new baby in the house. Things had long since settled down though. Daryl had adjusted to fatherhood remarkably well and was extremely over protective. He'd get up in the middle of the night to help change him or feed him or just hold him if that's what he wanted. Carol loved seeing how great he was with his son and it was such a breath of fresh air to have help this time around. She also loved seeing Sophia interact with her little brother. The girl absolutely adored him. Between the three of them, every single time the boy cried someone picked him up. He was spoiled already and he knew it too. He constantly wanted to be held. Overall, he was a good baby though. He didn't get fussy often unless he was hungry, sleepy or wanted to be held. It was over when he was mad though, he'd let out a gut wrenching scream until whatever it was that had him upset like that had been taken care of. Merle said it was just that Dixon temper. Speaking of Merle, the kid also had him wrapped around his finger too. He was always dropping by to see him or bringing new toys or clothes by for him and treats for Sophia too. He'd made a surprisingly good uncle.

The kid was lucky, very lucky. He was surrounded by people who loved him. The Grimes Clan, the Rhee's, the Greene's, Michonne, Shane, Andrea all of them were willing baby sitters if they ever needed to be. Then there was Dale, who ended up being his actual baby sitter. He'd overheard Carol and Daryl panicking about what to do with the baby once she went back to work. They didn't wanna leave him with strangers. Dale was retired and truthfully got lonely by himself. He was good with the boy and gave him lots of one on one attention, which probably added to how spoiled he already was. Daryl would get him in the evenings whenever he got off work and the two of them, plus Sophia would hang out at the house until Carol got there. They hadn't been away from him overnight though, but that was supposed to change this weekend. The two of them hadn't gotten to do something alone in what felt like forever and Daryl had bought tickets to a concert in Atlanta. They had a hotel and were supposed to stay overnight. Andrea and Shane were going to watch the kids, but they both ended up with the flu. The duo were scrambling for a last minute sitter.

"Maybe this is just a sign we shouldn't go. I mean, maybe it's too soon to be away from him." Carol finally said as the two of them were discussing what to do while getting ready for work that morning.

"The hotel is non-refundable and so are the tickets. I've got six hundred dollars tied up in all of this." Daryl pointed out.

"Who's gonna watch Sophia and Hunter?" She asked as she threw her hands up. "We can't leave them with Rick because of the incident with her and Carl in the tree house, Glenn and Maggie are out of town for their anniversary, Michonne is working on a big case, Dale's visiting his sister, Herschel is taking Beth to look at colleges. There's no one else."

"There's Merle." Daryl said hesitantly as he ran his hands through his hair. He knew this was going to be a hard sell with her, but his brother loved both kids and he had actually volunteered once he knew their original baby sitter plans had fell through.

"You're kidding, right?" She laughed.

"What's so funny?" He asked narrowing his eyes at her.

"I'm not leaving my four month old son with Merle."

"Our four month old son." He corrected.

"No way." She said shaking her head.

"Why not?" "He loves Hunter and Sophia and he's good with them. Besides, Sophia stayed with him while we were in the hospital with the baby and he took care of her just fine."

"Sophia is old enough to take care of herself, it's different with a baby. Merle can hardly take care of himself."

"That's not fair." Daryl said, clearly becoming agitated. "He's been off drugs since he got out of prison, he goes to work every day, and he pays his bills. He's come a long way."

"I didn't say he hadn't and I'm proud of him for how far he has come, but I'm not comfortable with it."

"So you want me to tell my brother you don't trust him with his nephew for one night?"

"No, I want you to tell him that we decided to stay home instead."

"Well we didn't decide to stay home, you did." He snapped. "I still wanna go."

"Then go. Take Merle with you." She snapped back.

"I don't wanna go with Merle, I wanna go with you."

"You're acting like a kid."

"You're being stubborn as hell. He'll be fine. Sophia will be there to help look after him."

She placed a hand on her head and let out a loud sigh. "I told you, I don't wanna leave my baby with him all night."

"Stop saying your kid, he's my damn son too." He snapped again. He took off out of their bedroom door and let it slam shut. "I'm going to work, I'll be back later." She heard him yell.

()()()

"Is there any particular reason that I had to rush over here and meet you for lunch?" Michonne asked as she took a seat next to Carol in the hospital cafeteria.

"I had a fight with Daryl this morning." She said letting her head drop.

"Is everything okay?" "You guys rarely fight?" Her friend asked concerned.

"I don't know. We were fighting about what to do with the kids this weekend since Andrea and Shane are sick. He wants to leave them with Merle." She said making a face.

"And you don't think that's a good idea." Michonne replied with a laugh.

"I don't mind leaving Sophia with him. She's older and she can look after herself, but I just don't know if he's capable of looking after a baby."

"Merle is an egotistical, loud mouth fool, but he loves both of those kids to death and he'd do anything for them." Michonne said with a smile.

"You're on Daryl's side then?" She asked curiously.

"I didn't say that." Michonne said and paused for a moment. "Think of it as me being on your side too."

"How so?"

"Because you're a mother of two who rarely gets to spend time alone with her husband. You deserve a night away."

Carol paused like she was considering it. "But we've never left him for the entire night before."

"I know and I know it's gonna be hard, but you'll be leaving him with family."

"Family who's been to prison." Carol groaned.

"He had a drug problem, he's sober now. It wasn't like he was murderer."

"I'm starting to think that you hanging out with Merle some is making you a little biased." She said narrowing her eyes at her friend.

"I'm not biased, I just think that he can handle the baby for a night. Come on, Carol. Daryl cried the first day you left Hunter with Dale. If he had any doubt in his mind that Merle wouldn't be able to do this you know he wouldn't even consider going. He loves his brother, but you, Sophia and that little boy are his entire world."

"You do have a point."

"I know." She smirked. "If it will make you feel better I can stop by that night and check in on Merle and the kids."

"Yeah, I'm sure that's the only reason you'll be stopping by." She said rolling her eyes.

"Shut up." Mihonne said as she playfully nudged her shoulder.

Carol laughed and then ran her hands through her hair. "Oh God, I was such a bitch this morning. I kept telling Daryl that Merle wasn't watching my son. I just kept saying mine over and over like he didn't even have a say so in it. He got so mad. He took off and slammed the door. He didn't even say I love you before he left."

()()()

After her talk with Michonne she had decided that she needed to apologize to Daryl for their little spat this morning. She felt bad about not being willing to consider Merle as an option and even worse for making Daryl feel like he didn't have a say or choice in it. She hated fighting with him. It rarely happened. Other than slight bickering over things at the house now and again this was probably only their third real fight. She couldn't wait to get home and make up, unfortunately that wasn't going to be any time soon. It was a busy night in the ER and even though she was supposed to get off at nine, she didn't get home until after eleven because they were so backed up. When she entered her living room that night she saw her daughter fast asleep on one end of the sectional and Daryl asleep on the other with the baby on his chest. There was an empty pizza box on the coffee table and the TV was on. All three of them looked so peaceful that she didn't wanna disturb them. She felt overcome by how much she loved them. The three of them were her life, her reason for being. She walked over to her daughter and pressed a kiss to her forehead. Then she walked over to Daryl and the baby. She placed a gentle kiss on the top of the baby's head and then placed one on her husband's lips. She was going to go get shower, but she felt Daryl's hand grab hers as she went to walk away.

"Hey." He said sleepily

"Hey." She replied. "I didn't mean to wake you." She whispered.

"It's fine. We were waiting for you to get home, but they didn't make it."

"You didn't either." She laughed.

"I just dozed off for a second."

She smiled at him and went to move his hair out of his face. "I'm sorry about this morning." She said softly.

"Yeah, me too." He replied. "I should have told you I loved you before I left. All I could think about all damn day was when you and Sophia got into that wreck. I can't imagine if something happened to you and the last thing memory I had was of us being mad at each other."

She leaned down and kissed him again. "I know. I thought about that too."

"Look, if you don't wanna go, we don't have to. I'll just see if I can put the tickets and hotel on Ebay or something."

"No, you don't have to do that. You were right, we should leave them with Merle."

He cocked his eyebrows up at her. "Did you just say I was right?"

"Don't let it go to your head." She joked. "He's their uncle and he loves them. You're a good father and you wouldn't consider leaving them with him if you didn't think he could handle it. I guess I'm just worried about leaving him for the first time." She confessed.

"Yeah, I'm nervous about leaving him too." He admitted. "I just really wanna have a night out with you to myself. Maybe that's selfish and to even say it makes me feel like a bad dad, but."

"You're not a bad dad, I want a night with just us too. I think it's healthy for us to still make time for each other."

The baby started to stir on his chest and whine a little bit. Carol reached down and picked her son up and pressed him against her chest. Daryl sat up on the couch and slid over so she could move between his legs.

"He missed his mama." He whispered in her ear as he noticed the baby calm down once he was in her arms.

She kissed her son's forehead and then let herself lean back into Daryl. "I missed all three of you. I didn't think I was ever going to get to leave."

He wrapped his arm around her waist and pulled her even closer. "I love you."

"I love you too and I'm sorry I kept calling him just my son. He's clearly his daddy made over. I don't think he got a single trait from me."

Daryl ran a hand through the boy's blond locks. "His hair has a curl to it like yours does, and that hair color sure ain't mine." He laughed.


	55. Chapter 55

**(I just want to say a huge thanks to everyone that read this story. I really enjoyed writing it. This is going to be my last chapter.)**

Four years had gone by. Four years since he'd married the woman he loved more than life itself, four years since he gained a daughter, four years since his son was born. Some days it seemed like the time had passed by in the blink of an eye. He had woken up early this morning, and he found that the house was still perfectly quiet and still. His wife was curled up next to him still asleep and obviously both kids were too, or else they'd be running around the house into shit by now.

Sophia was 18 now, and she and Carl were going off to college in August. It was hard to believe she'd grown from that shy awkward 12 year old girl he'd met at that cookout into the outgoing, beautiful, smart young woman she was today. She'd ended up graduating at the top of her class. They'd been pretty lucky, she'd been a good kid for the most part. They'd caught her drunk once or twice. She cut class on occasion, but nothing a normal teenager wouldn't have done. She had never done anything along the lines of things he or Merle had done, and for that he was thankful. He was going to miss her when she went off to college in a few months. She wouldn't be more than an hour and a half away and she'd promised to come home at least twice a month, but it still wouldn't the same as having her in the house. Carol had been a wreck about, never in front of her daughter because she didn't want to upset her or make her feel guilty about leaving, but at night sometimes she'd have a breakdown and he'd hold her while she cried. Sophia was all she had a long time, the thought of her being away from her for the first was a lot to take in. Then there was her little brother, who'd adamantly said that Sophia couldn't leave and that he was going to hold onto her leg so she couldn't go anywhere. He loved his sister so much, and rightfully so. She spoiled him like crazy. She was always doing something with him or taking him somewhere. He loved how close they were though.

Hunter was four years old now, and to say that he was a handful was an understatement. He was a ball of energy who constantly wanted to be doing something. He was outgoing and confident, and if he the boy didn't look just like a blond haired version of Daryl himself, he'd almost swear he was Merle's. The kid had a hell of a personality, but he was sweet and loving. It was the best feeling in the world at the end of a long day when he'd get home and the boy would run and jump into his arms for a hug and tell him that he loved him and had missed him. He'd already taught him how to fish and they'd started squirrel hunting with B.B. guns recently. The kid loved every minute of it. He couldn't wait to buy him a crossbow.

Then there was Carol, who he loved more than anything else in the world. She'd given him everything he never knew he needed. A home, marriage, a family. As she lay beside him asleep, he couldn't help but smile. He still thought she was just as beautiful as she was the day he met her. He'd always heard people talk a lot of shit about marriage being a trap or how people got tired of their spouse, he'd come to realize they obviously didn't have the marriage or life he had. They didn't fight often, she just didn't make a big deal out of the little shit. They shared responsibility around the house and with the bills. He considered himself lucky very lucky. Aside from his wonderful family he had really great friends.

Glenn and Maggie were still married and doing well. They had a son now. He was three. They were thinking about adding another kid into the mix.

Rick and Lori were still doing good. They were also currently dealing the emotional toll of sending Carl off to college. Daryl almost thought Rick seemed to be taking it harder than Lori. He wanted Carl to stay around town and join the force. Carl had wanted to go to college, which Daryl thought actually had more to do with the fact Sophia was going than it did him actually wanted to go. He wasn't going to complain though, he was glad that the boy was going to be there with her. He loved her and Daryl knew it. He was glad she'd have someone to look after her and take care of her. Judith, she was five now and she looked more and more like Lori every day. She was a sassy little thing to. Always bossing Hunter around when they played together.

Andrea and Shane had ended up breaking up for a while. She wanted to get married and he didn't so she left. That seemed to be a light bulb moment for him, because he did everything he could to win her back and they'd gotten married last year. They didn't have any kids right now, but she was aiming for one within the next year.

Then there was Merle. It was safe to say that his older brother's transformation was greater than anyone's. He'd gone from a drug addicted ex-con into a loving, caring uncle. Daryl had made it clear when he started dating Carol that if Merle was going to be around her and Sophia he had to be clean when he was. And Merle quickly saw that being around Daryl meant being around them. He'd stopped using and never looked back. In a startling turn of events, he and Michonne had actually started dating. Daryl still wasn't exactly sure how it happened. The two used to exchange catty remarks and Michonne often put him in his place, but Daryl never saw them hooking up. In fact, he'd thought it was one huge joke they were playing on them all. That was, until Michonne got pregnant. That had been almost three years ago and now they had a two year old son named Andre. They hadn't gotten married, but they lived together and they seemed happy. Merle was a good father too. Daryl was happy for his brother and he was crazy about his nephew.

It was strange how life worked out. Things seem to happen when you least expect them. Five years ago when he'd first met Carol he'd never have dreamed his life would turn out the way that it did. He'd barely been able to look at her at first he was so shy and now he couldn't imagine going a day without seeing her. The little things seemed to align in the perfect place, at the perfect time like that he supposed. Rick's truck messing up, Merle being in jail, him being lonely and hungry enough to agree to dinner with some stranger. All of that had to happen in order for him to have the life he had today. And it wasn't just his life either. Without all that maybe Judith wouldn't be here today. Merle wouldn't have Andrea. If one simple event wouldn't have happened all of their lives could be completely different.

He felt Carol wrap an around his waist and shift closer to him. "Go back to sleep" She sleepily told him.

"How'd you know I wasn't?" He asked as he leaned his head against hers.

"Because I know you…and you're fidgeting and it woke me up."

He rolled over and placed a kiss on her lips. "How bout you wake up instead?" He asked, huskily.

She wrapped her arms around his neck and deepened the kiss.

All of a sudden they heard the footsteps of a little boy pounding down the hallway. "Mommy! Daddy! Wake-up! Wake-up! "I wanna play!

"Stop running in the house!" They heard Sophia shout to her little brother.

They pulled apart and shared a laugh.

"Every single time." Carol said, still laughing.

"Kids been cock blocking me since before he was born." Daryl said, shaking his head.

"I'll see if Sophia and Carl wanna take him and Judith to the movies later." She told him as she ran a hand through his hair. "For now, parent life calls. Come on, pookie." She went to roll out of bed, but he caught her and kissed her one more time.

"I love you and I wouldn't change any of this for nothing." He told her, letting his eyes meet hers.

She smiled up at him. "Neither would I, and I love you too."


End file.
